Palmer postulates that a major issue in teaching is fear; thus overcoming fear is a central concern for teachers. Fears originate from a number of sources--fear of diversity (or "otherness"), of conflict, of losing identity, and of change. Both students and teachers, in Palmer's opinion, bring many variants of these fears to class, negatively affecting learning possibilities. He tells a compelling story of having a young man in class whom he initially thinks of as the Student from Hell, only to discover that in actuality the young man is very interested in learning, but afraid to speak out. As a result of this encounter Palmer sees that helping students "find their voice" is a key goal for teachers.

To offset fear and develop classes where students find their voice, Palmer calls for teachers to become "connected," to enter into a community of themselves, learners, and subject. One key basis for understanding community and connection is the ability to see knowing as communal: "Knowing of any sort is relational, animated by a desire to come into deeper community with what we know. . . .Knowing is a human way to seek relationship and, in the process, to have encounters and exchanges that will inevitable alter us. At its deepest reaches, knowing is always communal."

At the end of the chapter Palmer urges teachers to "be not afraid," to admit that fears exist but to find "other places in my inner landscape from which I can speak and act." The following chapters explain more completely his concepts of knowing as communal.