(Book Review) A Pedagogy of Kindness

In A Pedagogy of Kindness, Catherine J. Denial makes a compelling case for changing the way higher education operates.As educators, she argues that we must move away from traditions of distrust, individualism, and strict authority, and instead embrace trust, agency, and a sense of belonging.Drawing on her extensive teaching experience, Denial redefines kindness as more profound than being nice or lenient.She views it as an ethical approach that can reshape the relationships educators have with their students and how they design assessments, classrooms, and institutions.Given the challenges in today's educational landscape, including post-pandemic fatigue, mental health concerns, and the growing need for equity (Rashid & Di Genova, 2022), this book is timely and necessary.Denial is a historian and award-winning educator at Knox College in Illinois, and her book offers a human-centered approach to teaching that is concise and clear.The warm and approachable tone makes it appealing not only to higher education academics and educators but also to curriculum developers and administrators.Drawing from her personal experiences, Denial shares transformative stories from her classroom, such as using a "first day" survey to understand students' needs, and revising syllabus language