Educating the Heart

As parents or caregivers, it's easy to get caught up in grades, achievements, and preparing our children for the future. But what if the qualities that matter most are the ones that can't be measured?

In this inspiring talk, teacher Barry White Jr. reminds us that while knowledge opens doors, character determines how our children walk through them. Kindness, empathy, resilience, courage, integrity, and a deep sense of belonging are the foundations of a meaningful life, and these are qualities that are cultivated through everyday relationships, not just classrooms.

The talk is a beautiful reminder that parenting or caregiving is far more than helping children succeed. It's about nurturing human beings who know how to care for others, navigate life's uncertainties with grace, and stay connected to their own inner values. The moments we share, the example we set, and the love we model often become the lessons that shape who they become.

We hope this conversation offers encouragement and inspiration for every parent, educator, and caregiver who believes that raising good human beings is one of the most important journeys we can undertake. [watch video]

Title: What Do You Do With a Problem?
Author: Kobi Yamada
Ages: 4-8 years

A child struggles with the worry and anxiety that come with an unexpected problem.

In a wonderful balance of text and pictures, the team responsible for What Do You Do With an Idea (2014) returns with another book inspiring children to feel good about themselves. A child frets about a problem that won’t go away: “I wished it would just disappear. I tried everything I could to hide from it. I even found ways to disguise myself. But it still found me.” The spare, direct narrative is accompanied by soft gray illustrations in pencil and watercolor. The sepia-toned figure of the child is set apart from the background and surrounded by lots of white space, visually isolating the problem, which is depicted as a purple storm cloud looming overhead. Color is added bit by bit as the storm cloud grows and its color becomes more saturated. With a backpack and umbrella, the child tries to escape the problem while the storm swirls, awash with compass points scattered across the pages. The pages brighten into splashes of yellow as the child decides to tackle the problem head-on and finds that it holds promise for unlooked-for opportunity.

A straightforward, effective approach to helping children cope with one of life’s commonplace yet emotionally fraught situations, this belongs on the shelf alongside Molly Bang’s Sophie books. –Kirkus Reviews

Take five uninterrupted minutes today to truly listen to your child. Feeling heard is one of the greatest gifts we can offer.