Reframing the Emotional Worlds of the Early Childhood Classroom

"This book examines the emotional world of the early childhood setting and how it affects young children. Just as an environment needs to be educationally conductive to learning, even more important is a child's emotional wellbeing within that learning environment to help them access it. If they are unhappy or unwell they will not be able to make the most of the potential for learning, no matter how outstanding the learning environment." - Martine Horvath, EYE Magazine

"As the early childhood education community is pressured to focus attention on the cognitive dimensions of development, it is heartening to have a book like Madrid, Fernie and Kantor's Reframing the Emotional Worlds of the Early Childhood Classroom. Its narratives provide wonderful examples of hitting that sweet spot that balances the professional, intellectual, and emotional. The authors remind us of our relational responsibilities in early childhood through narratives from the heart that are thoughtful, challenging, and human." - Beth Graue, Sorenson Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Wisconsin, USA

"This book is filled with compelling stories, celebrations, confessionals--some tough to read--about the essential place of emotions in the life of the classroom. Through their multiple frames (as parent, teacher, researcher, administrator), the authors remind us that an authentic early childhood classroom works best when it's open to the emotionally-rich experiences of our real and imagined lives. Everyone learns when emotions are elicited, respected and shared, whether fear of a fire, delight in exploring the woods, confusion over the death of guinea pigs, the courage to generate conflict or the awe-some-ness of a hummingbird rescue. This book will help you pay better attention to children, their families, your colleagues and yourself." - Rebecca Staples New, Associate Professor of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA