Be Still and Know: Contemplative Practices for Christian Schools and Educators

Discover how the Christian contemplative tradition can enhance teaching and learning
 
The goal of Christian education is distinctive: to help students develop into well-integrated human beings and faithful disciples. Yet Christian schools are beset by many of the same challenges that plague virtually all schools today―a culture of distraction and deteriorating mental health, the erosion of community and social bonds, not to mention widespread disaffiliation from traditional religious institutions. Drawing upon current research in psychology, neuroscience, education, and spirituality, Be Still and Know presents the contemplative Christian tradition as an untapped resource for addressing these challenges and helping Christian schools to better fulfill their mission.
 
In these pages, veteran educator Patrick Manning guides readers through a school day where they experience people, time, space, and school activities in a more contemplative manner. He invites readers to engage in Christian contemplative practices for themselves through a series of meditations. He also comes alongside them to assess the significant challenges of working in education today, and to develop practical responses grounded in the wisdom of the Christian contemplative tradition as well as current research.
 
Educators will come away from this book personally renewed and professionally equipped with new strategies for teaching, researching, working with others, building community, playing, and ordering time in their classrooms and schools. Wise, timely, and transformative, Be Still and Know is a vital resource for teachers and administrators in Christian schools.

Catholic Media Association (CMA) Book Award Faith and Science Honorable Mention (2026)

Patrick R. Manning is associate professor of pastoral theology and director of the Center for Catholic Studies at Seton Hall University. In his teaching, writing, and work with faith communities, he focuses on making sense of human beings and how we can live life more abundantly together. He is the author of Converting the Imagination: Teaching to Recover Jesus’ Vision for Fullness of Life and Be Still and Know: Contemplative Practices for Christian Schools and Educators.

David I. Smith is director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning, coordinator of the De Vries Institute for Global Faculty Development, and professor of education at Calvin University. In 2024, he won Calvin University’s Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching. He has published extensively on Christian education and the relationship between faith and pedagogy; his books include On Christian Teaching: Practicing Faith in the Classroom, Learning from the Stranger: Christian Faith and Cultural Diversity, and Everyday Christian Teaching: A Guide to Practicing Faith in the Classroom.