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Healing Centered Pedagogy
Embracing Healing-Centered Work in Education and Fostering Emotional Growth and Resilience in the Classroom
The paradigm of education has undergone a significant shift in recent years as the needs of teachers and students continues to evolve. Today, recognizing the role of emotions and well-being in the learning process has become integral – and the humans at the heart of the work must be at least as much a focus as the work itself. In pedagogy that acknowledges the impact of trauma, stress, and emotions on students’ cognitive development transformative work can happen in a classroom; and though teachers are not therapists they can practice healing-centered work – or therapeutic teaching – as a means through which to protect their students and their own mental health.
As an educator myself, for over 25 years, I have cultivated what I call, The Human Curriculum through decades of trying to impact more than academic learning in school. The Human Curriculum truly puts the students first through lessons and activities that center emotions. We work on building strength, honouring hardship, and impacting resilience through naming and facing adversity. In the Human Curriculum, the teacher themself understands the power of the work, as they have applied the strategies in their own life – significantly impacting their own ability to face difficulty as well. The Human Curriculum doesn’t make it so that teaching is necessarily easier or that all ones problems disappear, but it does allow room to honour mistakes and challenge, and it focuses on problem solving over problems alone.
To truly actualize this work and build character and strength, educators and leaders gain an understanding of the self first – applying the lens of ‘self-care before care-give.’ Most leaders, whether they believe it or not, are in caregiver roles. From Teachers, to therapists, to parents, and even lawyers or other community members, many hold the hearts of human as a part of what they do. In these roles, we are inherently tasked with the need to show up well, healed, or at least on the journey to . . . where strength and capacity to face hard things is something we model. Helping leaders who work in care-giving roles to hold space for their own challenges, grief, or pain is as much a part of the work as it is to teach it to others. Educators and leaders who do this work do it by learning about themselves – the art and science of being human – and they apply that knowledge to their work with others as mentors, role models, and more.
The Human Curriculum™ Journal
The Human Curriculum™ refers to an educational framework or approach that prioritizes the holistic development of individuals, focusing on self-discovery, mental health, emotional well-being, and the cultivation of humanistic values. Unlike traditional curricula, which may emphasize academic content and skills, the Human Curriculum is designed to help individuals understand themselves, develop empathy, foster emotional intelligence, and engage in personal and social transformational growth.
In practice, a Human Curriculum might integrate elements like self-reflection, mindfulness, ethical reasoning, and community involvement, aiming to educate the whole person rather than just imparting knowledge. The goal is to prepare individuals not only for professional success but also for meaningful, fulfilling lives, contributing positively to society through powerful personal growth. This concept is particularly relevant in contexts where the focus is on therapeutic leadership practices and mental health education for leaders, teachers, parents, or anyone who feels they are in a caregiving role.
The Human Curriculum™ emphasizes the process of ‘aware-care-cope’ and teaches through the Five Ms and Five Rs: Meaning, Mindset, Mental Health, Mentorship, and Management; Relationships, Resources, Routines, Resilience, and Reflection. These elements guide educators to support competencies and the cultivation of skills both for their own development and the well-being of others. The foundation of the curriculum is ‘self-care to care-give.
This journal is designed to accompany the curriculum as it is taught in Judy’s courses; however, anyone may use the journal for self-discovery, hope, growth, and healing.