This paper reappraises educational aims and values in relation to the changing relationships between students’ diverse modes of experience, social realities, and wider life-worlds. We draw in detail on Merleau-Ponty’s Sorbonne Lectures on Child Psychology and Pedagogy, as these highlight the nature and importance of children’s experiences and interactions with others. We argue that Merleau-Ponty’s ontological insights can aid students in exploring their embodied experiences in contexts, where the methodological focus is on introducing thought into language. We conclude by offering insights into how more eventful and at times optimistic pedagogical episodes can support whole school attempts to enhance the importance of embodied and intersubjective learning in contemporary school education.