The Empathetic Classroom

How a Mental Health Mindset Supports Your Students—and You

Maria Munro-Schuster

• Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9798885549448
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Behavioural Management

Develop a mental-health mindset and rediscover the inspiration that brought you to teaching. In The Empathetic Classroom, educator and licensed therapist Maria Munro-Schuster helps K–12 teachers navigate emotional stress, combat exhaustion, connect with students, and avoid burning out. She also gives tools for better teaching, for teaching that feels better, and for classrooms where emotional intelligence, safety, and empathy are embedded as a part of practice. This book goes beyond typical books on teacher burnout, focusing on holistic mindsets and strategies that support your mental health and that of your students. Full of tools and strategies to incorporate into the classroom, this approachable book combines teaching best practices with research-backed techniques from the field of counseling psychology. You'll find sound advice on maintaining boundaries, confronting intrusive thoughts, responding to trauma, incorporating play into classrooms, and many other methods of remaining connected to themselves and their students. Learn how to: Create a safe space for students—and educators—to learn and grow, Understand how your past and your triggers influence your teaching—and recognize trauma in students, Validate emotions to curb disruptive behaviors, By situating mental health concepts and techniques within established teaching best practices, The Empathetic Classroom helps you adapt your approach, your environment, and your interactions with students. And by focusing on self-regulation, boundaries, and connection, you can rediscover your inspiration. Find emotionally safer and more energizing ways of doing what you love while protecting your own mental health.

Table of contents

• A
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• List of Activities viii
• Foreword by Cassie Nastase, Nick Covington, and Chris McNutt, Human Restoration Project ix
• Introduction: Taking a Leap 1
• Chapter 1: Before All Else, Attune 19
• Chapter 2: Know Your Unique Triggers 32
• Chapter 3: Build a New Relationship with Emotions 51
• Chapter 4: Validate the Emotion, Understand the Behavior 66
• Chapter 5: Your Classroom as a Refuge 82
• Chapter 6: Form a Secure Attachment 97
• Chapter 7: Support the Change Process 113
• Chapter 8: You Can Play 124
• Chapter 9: Trauma Awareness 138
• Chapter 10: All About Power in Schools 161
• Chapter 11: How to Navigate Boundaries 184
• Chapter 12: Responding to Your Intrusive Thoughts About Teaching 194
• Conclusion: Finding Solid Ground 209
• Acknowledgments 223
• Appendix 225
• Warning Signs of Suicide 225
• How to Find Your Own Mental Health Professional 226
• Recommended Resources 231
• References 233
• Index 237
• About the Author 244
• B