Miss Freud Returns to the Classroom

This essay is a call for a more psychoanalytically informed approach to educational psychology and teacher formation. To this end, the author gives an overview of a course in psychology that he recommends for inclusion in teacher education. This course is in two parts. The first part is an introduction to some important elements of psychoanalytic theory, as exemplified by the work of such analysts as Anna Freud and Selma Fraiberg. The second part, which is supervised by a psychoanalyst, addresses practical application. A certified teacher for almost 40 years, the author often draws upon his classroom experiences to illustrate the utility of such concepts as child and adolescent development, transference, and countertransference.