Teaching Heart to Heart:: A Book of Reflections and Encouragement for Teachers

By Barbara Carmody

Teaching Heart to Heart: A Book of Reflections and Encouragement for Teachers is about teaching in a way where we connect with more than just our minds--we connect with our hearts. This book aims to provide inspiration and encouragement for teachers as they navigate the expectations of their often exhausting, yet, rewarding career choice. Each chapter ends with an Invitation to Reflect which is intended to personalize the reader’s journey.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Dec 19, 2024
• ISBN: 9798765258408

Barbara Carmody

Barbara Carmody has acquired a wealth of experiences and knowledge in her career in the field of education. She has worked as a teacher in both preschool and elementary school settings, an adjunct college instructor, a teacher trainer, and a director of early learning and preschool programs.

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Teaching

Heart to Heart:

A Book of Reflections and

Encouragement for Teachers

BARBARA CARMODY

Copyright © 2025 Barbara Carmody.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Balboa Press

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844-682-1282

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 979-8-7652-5841-5 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-5842-2 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-7652-5840-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024926363

Balboa Press rev. date: 12/19/2024

"When educating the mind of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts."

~ Dalai Lama

The best teachers teach from the heart, not the book.

~ Horace Mann

Contents

Dedication

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 The Heart of a Child

Chapter 2 The Heart of a Teacher

Chapter 3 Environment—The Heart of the Classroom

Chapter 4 The Heart of Learning

Chapter 5 The Language of the Heart

Chapter 6 The Inclusive Heart

Chapter 7 The Wounded Heart

Chapter 8 The Peaceful Heart

Chapter 9 Connecting Heart to Heart

Chapter 10 My Achy, Breaky Heart

Chapter 11 Heart-to-Heart Connections with Families

Chapter 12 The Heart of the School

Chapter 13 The Heart of Education

Chapter 14 The Heart of the World

Dedication

To teachers everywhere—May you find joy in your work as you touch the hearts of the many students who come through your doors

To Mary Hohmann and Lenore Thompson –thank you

Preface

It has been said that with age comes wisdom. Some young students have guessed that I might be around one hundred years old, so I think I have met the age requirement. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to work in the field of education for all of my adult years. While on this long and winding path, there have been a few things I have learned that now seem quite wise—tidbits of wisdom that I would share with the intention of giving someone hope or making their path slightly easier. One of those tidbits is that there are moments, people, words that come to us occasionally throughout life that are significant—that serve as guides shining a light on our way. Sometimes we recognize the importance immediately. Other times, it may be in hindsight; we may look back and realize that it was actually a life-altering moment that somehow touched our souls. I have been fortunate to have experienced several such moments.

Two extraordinary people whom I have encountered along my path are Mary Hohmann and Lenore Thompson. Mary helped me to see children in their wholeness and to be truly observant and reflective of individual development. She ingrained intentionality into my planning and teaching practices. Lenore taught me to see beyond a child’s behavior and to instead understand with greater depth how behavior could inform me of unmet needs. She instilled a greater focus and clarity in me of the importance of the social/emotional life of children. I am forever grateful to these two extraordinary women and the impact they have had on my life. Teachers have the ability to be that extraordinary person or to speak those incredible words.

Having worked in various capacities in the field of education and with a broad spectrum of ages ranging from toddlers to college students, I have reflected on my own teaching practices, and the practices of the many teachers whom I have encountered. Along the way, I have made note of the responses of children to those practices. Sometimes, my heart has rejoiced while at other times it has ached. These reflections, along with the encouragement of family, friends, and some of my college students, prompted the initial writing of this book. As sometimes happens, the stresses of work and life took precedence over my writing. Eventually it became only a glimmer in the back of my mind.

I retired from an administrative position during the lockdown phase of the pandemic in July 2020. Aware of the many hardships schools were facing in reopening, I began a long-term substitute teaching position in August of 2021 for a second-grade class whose teacher had quit. January found me still standing in front of the masked faces of twenty-six students. We all wore jackets in addition to masks, because the doors and windows were open to provide ventilation. I now knew the students behind the masks—both personally and academically. There were three students whose skill levels were approaching a beginning second grade level. There were a couple of students who had entered with zero knowledge of letters or letter sounds, but were now able to write their names without looking at a model. The fall assessments of the other twenty students revealed a range from beginning kindergarten to middle first grade. We had some catching up to do! I continued to work as a substitute teacher in various grades and schools over the next few years. Those experiences beckoned me to reopen this book manuscript with renewed enthusiasm and a new urgency.

Introduction

During the last few years, I have met and taken the opportunity to connect with a number of teachers. Sadly, I have heard from some promising young teachers who consider leaving teaching. Their reasons include feelings of being overworked and/or unsupported, and of finding teaching not to be at all what they thought it would be like. I have met and heard of veteran teachers leaving because it is no longer the job they signed up for. Assessments, challenging behaviors, reports, meetings, etc. have taken the focus away from teaching. It has caused me to wonder if the rigor demanded of teachers today is leading to rigor mortis of the soul of teaching?

When I initially began writing this book, I wrote to communicate the passion that I had always felt as a teacher with the intention and hope that I could somehow encourage other teachers to embrace the significant impact of their daily work and promote positive teaching practices. Now I believe it has become even more critical for the field of education, and honestly our world, to step up and make a greater effort to instill and support teaching practices wherein all children are given opportunities to identify and understand their own passions and strengths, and are guided toward a pathway that allows their true essence to shine. As teachers, we have a huge influence as to whether that wonderful potential that lies within the heart of every child is nurtured and allowed to grow or whether it is buried deeper and deeper within.

Thus, this book is about teaching heart to heart. I ask as you read that you intentionally become more aware of your own heart center and keep it open. The heart is where we feel, it is our emotional center. It is our connection to our own soul. Throughout this book you will be asked not only to become more attuned to your own heart, but also to step into the hearts of your students. Teaching is an interactive process—it demands a relationship between you and your students. This book is about teaching in a way where we connect with more than just our minds—we connect with our hearts. I share my belief that teaching heart to heart will allow us to impact education in a far greater way than any curriculum. We have an opportunity to adopt and implement a way of teaching that reaches the inner essence of students. Teaching with an awareness of our heart frequency allows us to connect, to inspire, to respond and to support students so that they are able to know themselves as worthy, capable individuals who have purpose and value in our world. I like to imagine a world where students graduate from high school with knowledge of their strengths, with strategies to address their individual challenges, and with confidence that they will be valued and supported in a future that brings them joy and contributes in a positive manner to the world. Teachers have the ability to make a positive impact on others every day. What a wonderfully awesome job!

While I write from a classroom teacher perspective, I write to teachers of all types. Whether you teach a grade level, special education, the arts, sports, or a second language, you are in a position to connect in a positive manner with the hearts of students. I am reminded of my mother who taught art classes to adults. She sometimes found that students were learning more about self-confidence or self-expression versus color, line, and composition. She was able to sense this because she taught with a passionate and an open heart.

Each chapter includes an invitation for self- reflection. The reflective process provides a means for us to learn and grow, so for each of you, I hope it will inspire personal and meaningful insights of your own teaching practice. From my heart to yours!

Chapter 1

The Heart of a Child

As a student, I was in too many classrooms riddled with fear, the fear that leads many children, born with a love of learning, to hate the idea of school.

The Courage to Teach, Parker J. Palmer

Initially, the heart of a young child is innocent and hopeful. It is a heart that wishes upon stars, imagines fantastic adventures, and believes in miracles. The eyes of a young child are meant to see joy. Through the lens of childhood, a box, a mud puddle, or a stick can magically become a source of intrigue. The soul of a young child holds unlimited potential. Yet somehow innate qualities, interests, and talents diminish in many students. A kindergartener expresses, I can’t draw. A second grader proclaims, I hate school! A hopeless teen drops out of school. Too many students lack basic skills and are unable to read, while many others just do not like to read—having never acquired a passion for books. By high school, many of the students who have previously excelled academically, lose their enthusiasm for learning. Others have long ago decided they were failures and sought out acceptance elsewhere, perhaps in the close ties of a gang. Many more live in denial of their true feelings and seek solace in a world of alcohol and drugs. Eyes that once shone with hope and joy become clouded by boredom, disappointment, and disillusionment.

Potential greatness is in the heart of each child. One does not need to win the Nobel Peace Prize, become an Olympic champion, or a national leader to merit greatness. Greatness is occurring all around us each day. People choose to raise orphaned siblings. Firefighters choose to go in harm’s way to save lives. Farmers choose sustainable, organic farming. Volunteers choose to help senior citizens, homeless populations, and injured animals. Each of us make daily choices about living our best self—our highest self. And so it is that teachers are asked daily to choose to help children know their own greatness.

Although the experiences and environments that have impacted students prior to entering our classrooms are not within our control, the experiences and environment we provide as a teacher once a student enters our doorways are largely within our control. The imprint of the experiences within our classrooms upon the heart and soul of a child is immeasurable, so this job of teaching becomes one that demands the utmost thought and care. It invites us to awaken each morning with the intention to reach the heart of our students and inspire confidence, competence, and enthusiasm in learning. It urges us to contemplate what children need to be successful, and indeed, how we define and measure success.

A beginning step in teaching to the heart of children is to know who the children are that occupy our classrooms and schools. We can easily access data about schools. For example, I worked eight years as a first-grade teacher at a school in an area with