Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.
– Aristotle

“Pedagogy offers an invitation to walk with children, fully present and engaged, not relying on activity books or pre-determined curriculum to shape our days, but drawing on our own insight, self-awareness, critical thinking, and innovation,” write Ann Pelo and Margie Carter in their popular book, From Teaching to Thinking.

Since Pelo and Carter’s groundbreaking work was first published, they have nurtured a cadré of early care and education practitioners in telling their authentic stories of what this kind of pedagogy looks like in action. The latest offering in this series is a beautiful book by Shelley Brandon, Reimagining Heartbreak. Best selling author and Antioch University professor, David Sobel, has this to say about the book:

Reimagining Heartbreak weaves a charming spell. Shelley brings you down on the ground, into the woods, and into the preschoolers’ world where heart-breaking experiences, both happy and sad, abound. The children find walking sticks, get stuck, cry, get amazed and Shelley allows her heart to break open and feel their joy and pain as her joy and pain…Early childhood education can be about opening up to happiness and sadness for the children and teachers alike. Shelley captivates us with these openings.”