Empathy

The Development of Empathy 

According to the Merriam – Webster Dictionary, Empathy is defined as “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present …” 

Why is empathy essential to our education system? If we look at world history and even some of the disastrous events occurring today, we can see the result of the danger of a mindset that does not consider the perspectives, beliefs and understandings of others.  In schools there is explicit learning that comes from the Attitudes, Skills and Knowledge requirements of the Alberta Program of Studies.  These are pieces of learning where students develop new skills and understandings around curriculum.  However, there is also the implicit learning which takes place in a less noticeable manner, or occurs THROUGH the choices we as educators make in our approach to curriculum. 

It is the thoughtfulness of these choices that can begin to build empathy in children.  At CJFS we view curriculum through the lens of inquiry.  This means students look at topics and questions in a manner that teaches them to question, hypothesize and consider multiple perspectives as it relates to topics that are relevant to our world around us.  When taking up curriculum, students are led to practice empathy and have it modeled to them.  I truly believe that empathy is a learned behavior and mindset.  It must be taught.  There are ways that schools and parents can work together to build these notions of empathy in our children:

1.    Talk to our children about our feelings and how our actions impact those around us. 

·      At CJFS we have introduced the Zones of Regulation.  We did so in order to have a common platform across the school to identify feelings, regulate emotions and better understand how our actions and behavior can either impact others positively or negatively.  If children can identify their own emotions effectively they are more likely to identify the feelings and emotions of others.

2.    Model empathy to your children or students.

·      Use things that happen in the world, to friends/family or ourselves.  Model empathy versus judgment.  Look at events and lead children to consider why people made their decisions.  Look at how events impact others? How does this make them feel? Where appropriate, what can we do to help?

3.    Teach children to see what they have in common with others?

·      When we see ourselves as having the only acceptable way of life it becomes very difficult to show empathy.  Start with finding the common places with others.  What interests, favorite foods or activities do children share? Having spent over 20 years working with children, I have discovered that this is a natural thing for them to do. They love to share their clothing, lunch items etc.  Parents and teachers should allow time for everyone to see what we have in common and not to points out our differences. 

4.    Find tools to assist. 

·      There are some amazing picture books that help develop the skill of empathy:

·      “Last Stop on Market Street” by Matt de la Pena

·      “Just Because” by Amber Housey

·      “A Sick Day for Amos McGee” by Philip C. Stead

·      “Stand in my Shoes” by Bob Sornson

·      “Sumi’s First Day of School Ever” by Joung Un Kim and Soyung Pak

·      “Amos and Boris” by William Steig

·      “Tight Times” by Barbara Shook Hazen

·      “The Invisible Boy” by Trudy Ludwig

·      “Enemy Pie” by Derek Munson

·      “The Monster Who Lost His Mean” by Tiffany Stelitz Haber

·      “Hey Little Ant” by Phillip M. Hoose and Hannah Hoose

I hope for a world filled with peace and acceptance.  This starts with empathy and the ability to accept differences in others by first finding the similarities.  At the school level it begins with an emphasis on peace education, coaching and educating all children, especially those who experience challenges in this area. 

For peace education and deep empathy to be built over time we expect the these understandings to be constructed in the classrooms.  Building empathy is a partnership between home and school and we can all work to build this in our children. 

Our children will go on to build our world, lead and determine the events that take place.  A vision of peace for our future means that we must start now with the building and modeling of empathy while they are young.  The adults in the lives of our children now will determine the empathy they can show to build a peaceful world in the future. 

Ms. Paull