Having been in education for ten years now I have taken part in and read several books on how to incorporate social emotional learning into curriculum authentically. Much of what I have been exposed to has been solely student-centered and tends to forget that educators have social emotional needs as well. We often are assumed to be equipped with the proper coping skills needed to work with multiple students that have a variety of educational, physical, psychological, and emotional needs. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and especially in these last five years the need for both student and educator mental health support has become increasingly important.

I expected a lot of the same information that I had already been exposed to over the years when I began reading Maria Munro-Schuster's The Empathetic Classroom. Mental health and social emotional awareness have become a necessity and its incorporation into curriculum is not easily implemented. These types of texts offer helpful solutions for educators that can be worked into elementary and secondary classrooms without feeling overwhelming or distracted from the necessary flow of content that must be covered. Where The Empathetic Classroom differs is the focus on providing coping strategies for educators to help with mental health and social emotional well-being as well as students.

Munro-Schuster takes the teacher as well as the students into account and examines how the well-being of both is necessary for the success of everyone in the classroom. This text is beneficial for those new to education, teachers just entering the classroom as well as those who have been working for years. Whether feeling burned out or not these activities are worth looking at and sharing with colleagues. I appreciated Munro-Schuster's approach and I hope that this will be a helpful guide and may even keep teachers from feeling isolated and leaving the classroom earlier than intended. I look forward to sharing this text with my coworkers and administration come Fall.

This was a good book. An interesting book. Unfortunately, the author needs to understand that the same issues occur in students. Teachers aren't the only ones who have emotional issues in classrooms.

What I gained from reading this book:
appreciation for mental health (mine, students, and fellow educators)
ideas (an overload)
key points (easily laid out in each chapter)

Especially worthwhile, for me, was the chapter on our personal triggers. Need to revisit this one.

I think this book would be most helpful in a teacher workshop or professional development situation. Most of us don't/won't sit down and read or study on our own.

But this book is so important (dare I say vital) to the continued field of education and the community of educators who need to be seen - and valued.

And ultimately, this book is about hope.

"We can create an environment that fosters mental health for all. ... It allows us to focus on the momentous task of teaching valuable lessons that will allow [us] to gain new perspectives and experiences in life."

I reviewed from an ARC copy provided by NetGalley. This book is a must-have resource—a read, a re-read, and a reliable reference for emotional first aid. Whether you're a teacher, homeschooler, or parent, you'll find it invaluable. Much has been written about nurturing emotional intelligence in children, but who supports the nurturers? This book shifts the focus back to the adults doing the cultivating, offering essential lessons and practical insights into mental health management.

This book is practical and informative for teachers and parents. I think this would be a great purchase for elementary libraries (for staff) and professional children's library collections. This is a book that I will come back to often to help understand what is going on with my students.

A compassionate and well-researched book on the importance of nurturing your student’s skills, and helping them protect their mental and emotional well being. As a stay at home Mom who homeschools my two oldest children - who have Autism - and will continue that trend with our youngest when he’s old enough (and any future children we may have) - this was an incredibly poignant and relevant book that I took away a lot of useful information from.

The book covers a wide range of ideas for creating a positive, inclusive and empathetic classroom setting as the tile and cover promises. The authors style is easy-to-read and informative. There are questions for discussion, activities and key points are summarized well. The audience seems to be pre-service and new in-service teachers. The references to classic psychology really help to review concepts such as attachment, trauma and hidden goals of misbehavior. I appreciate that the author has a counseling background and that there are vignettes to provide examples. This generation of learners loves case studies. I also like the circle of care and the readiness for behavioral change theories.

My suggestions are from my lens, which may or may not be helpful. This is more of a designer issue, than author issue. Sometimes, the type should be broken up a bit more to give some think time. Also, I think so of the ideas go into a lot more detail than needed, but they could be powerful if repeated somewhere else in the text. An example of this is the chapter on intrusive thoughts. I think that there is some repetition. This is not the only place, but this stands out because my teacher candidates would probably benefit from a meditation exercise or something tangible. I know that the author offers that, but I would be careful to hone in on one or two clear takeaways. I also would have liked to see a citation or two from CBT or DBT, because it is evidence-based and time-tested. Finally, I would like to see some ideas for students to learn how to build empathy. I was expecting more of that. Otherwise, the book is helpful, informative and the author will be successful with this book.

The Empathetic Classroom was a great reminder of the power of relationships and truly seeing our students. Maria Munro-Schuster shares heartfelt, realistic ideas that actually make sense in the middle of a busy school day. It’s not a how-to guide, but more of a mindset shift—one that encourages more compassion, connection, and reflection. It validated a lot of what I already try to do in my classroom and gave me a few new ways to approach tough moments. A thoughtful, grounding read that left me feeling re-centered and recharged.

This book is a must have for any and every kind of classroom, if you want to be the teacher that connects with your students deeply and also takes care of your personal emotional health at the same time, read this!!