Teaching with Tenderness : Toward an Embodied Practice

Imagine a classroom that explores the twinned ideas of embodied teaching and a pedagogy of tenderness. Becky Thompson envisions such a curriculum ”and a way of being ”that promises to bring about a sea change in education. Thompson's pedagogy of tenderness encompasses a student's whole self, helping the individual to merge mind, body, spirit, and emotions to achieve true understanding. As she shows, teaching with tenderness encourages us to truly listen to one another; makes room for emotion and uncomfortable perspectives; and welcomes silence, breathing, and movement. The patience and mindful attentiveness that emerges spurs students to achieve great work drawn from their best selves. Throughout, Thompson invites readers into her classroom and the lives of her students to illuminate how methods like yoga and sleep for overworked students have led to dramatic transformations.

Becky Thompson is a professor of sociology at Simmons College. Her books include Survivors on the Yoga Mat: Stories for Those Healing from Trauma and Promise and A Way of Life: White Antiracist Activism .