The Spiritual Exercises: A Paradigm for a Reflection of Good Teaching

Ignatius Loyola was a teacher. We know this from his life work. We know this from his legacy of education which to this day sets a benchmark for excellence. People who know nothing else about the Jesuits often know that they and their schools embody the ideal of excellence in education. This paper will reflect on the Spiritual Exercises which is Ignatius’ preeminent work from the perspective of what the Spiritual Exercises can tell us about being good teachers and about employing good pedagogical techniques.