Being a clown means more than just putting on a red nose to entertain. The clown is a figure who brings light, imperfection, and empathy into the world. They embrace their own flaws and the flaws of those they meet with compassion, self-humor, and love—and this, in essence, is what it means to be human. This book is a call to that voice, the one inside all of us.

For decades, Talia Safra studied clowning and served as a medical clown in hospitals and mental health wards. Then, in a brave, clown-like leap, she stepped into the school system and began to build a new field from the ground up: Educational Clowning. Her mission was to cultivate an emotional language and a climate within schools where it’s okay not to know and it's okay to make mistakes; a climate where you can make a choice, and then choose differently; a climate where every individual is unique and significant.

This book unfolds the philosophy behind educational clowning and the practical tools the educational clown uses, woven with case studies from professionals working in schools over the years. The tools offered here can be applied by anyone who wishes to deepen their human connection—with children, with the world, and with themselves.