Teachers, in Lindley's view, perform the equivalent of Prospero's rough magic in classrooms day in and day out. They do this, as Shakespeare's magician did, by combining their own stories--their own lives--with the art and craft of teaching. Lindley sets out to heighten the awareness of experienced and novice teachers alike by connecting concrete illustrations of the teaching/learning process with the teacher's inner world.

Lindley emphasizes the practical in his discussion of what happens when teachers and students interact in real classrooms. He makes use of his own and others' school teaching, his long experience as a director of a teacher education program, and his training in Jungian psychoanalysis. In the process, he has created a book to re-energize the in-service teacher and to educate the pre-service teacher. Parents, administrators, indeed anyone interested not only in teaching but in communicating across generational and cultural gaps will find this book fascinating and useful.