Heart to Heart is written as a manual and meant to be used. Although some narrative is provided, there are charts, bullet points, lists, and templates to enable the creation of systems for the home and classroom. The purpose of these systems is to maintain our heart-to-heart connections. Our doubts as caregivers are inevitable. When those doubts kick in and we know we have a system to refer to, we can relax. We can relax because all the thinking, planning, preparing, and heartfelt wisdom that went into the creation of the systems beforehand is available to us now. With this manual at hand, when doubts and confusion arise in situations of conflict, we don’t have to think it all through in the moment; that work has already been done. We can simply be available, with our open hearts, to the situation.
Amazingly simple yet profound three system curriculum that I can wait to start using in my classroom! I believe this will give children important tools and language to learn to express their feelings in healthy, independent ways. It will also help to build a supportive and empathetic community of learners by ensuring that everyone’s voice and feelings are truly heard.