In April 2021, Teachers College Press published Hope and Joy in Education: Engaging Daisaku Ikeda Across Curriculum and Context, a multi-authored book on Daisaku Ikeda’s educational philosophy. Edited by Isabel Nuñez and Jason Goulah, the book includes chapters from twenty-three scholars who draw on Ikeda’s unique perspectives to reinvigorate hope and joy in educational theory, research, and practice across the lifespan. In her foreword, Cynthia B. Dillard calls the book “a necessary text at a necessary time when, amidst the violence, global pandemics, enduring racism, and the often mean-spiritedness of our encounters with one another, we must pause to seriously consider the absolute power of joy, hope, and spirit in the work of teaching and learning.”

The Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue in Cambridge, MA, held a virtual book launch with the editors. When asked how educators can keep hope and joy alive after the painful, tumultuous year of 2020, Nuñez shared that it was Ikeda’s perspective on the Buddhist principle of “changing poison into medicine” that gave her a fresh and empowering outlook on this difficult time. Goulah responded that these challenges provide real opportunities for dialogue, value creation, and the reaffirmation that genuine hope and joy emerge from within. Indeed, at no time has it been more necessary to enliven hope in the promise of education or to reestablish joy in teaching and learning. This book reminds readers that the classroom—virtual or otherwise—is still a magical space, brimming with the brilliant and creative energy of young people. The full recording of the book launch can be found here.

In addition to the book launch event, on August 5, the Ethical Schools podcast interviewed the book editors, Isabel Nuñez and Jason Goulah, which is available here. Further, on October 14, the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Gutman Library hosted a virtual book talk event with the editors, which can be viewed here.

Hope and Joy in Education: Engaging Daisaku Ikeda Across Curriculum and Context

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