Empathy and Social Perspective

Daniel shares weekly insights as an educator through his blog Monday Musings. He is the Middle School Principal at the Shanghai Community International School, China

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So I spent the better part of last week’s Student Led Conferences speaking with parents about our school, and how their children are faring in our environment. I asked dozens of parents what they thought was the most important thing that they want out of an International School education, and one of the top answers was to have their children learn about empathy in a global world, or to acquire a strong sense of “social perspective”. Essentially, these parents astutely recognize that the future for their kids is going to undeniably revolve around them understanding different cultures, and learning to work, interact, trust, and assimilate into a world that is increasingly becoming smaller and smaller. They talked a lot about the importance of empathy, and the necessity of having their kids become aware of another person’s feelings and emotions. They also talked, at length, about how important it is for their children to recognize how their actions impact other people’s lives in profound ways, particularly as they navigate through their teenage years when kids tend to be substantially self absorbed.

I thought about whether or not we’re doing enough as a school to prepare our students in this regard, and if there are any ways that we could make improvements. I know that just being at a school like ours, with a representation of 40 different countries, speaking 50 different languages is an absolute life changing gift for our kids, and provides incredible opportunities for all our children to learn about tolerance, cultural awareness, and diverse perspectives. That said, I still believe we can specifically focus on these important life skills through our advisory program, our student assemblies, and our student leadership council meetings. I’m not advocating for a specific course which teaches empathy or social perspective, but I do feel like we can raise awareness with every chance we get. We can make sure that different cultures and ethnic groups are a part of our student leadership teams, we can have “culture clubs” do presentations at assemblies, and we can plan focused “empathy” advisories where we talk about this essential character trait, and give our students plenty of chances to understand or appreciate another person’s perspective, view, or opinion on a subject. In my opinion, this will help decrease our instances of ignorance and bullying, and positively affect the overall community and culture of our school.

Anyway, take some time this week to watch this fantastic RSA Animate Ted Talk by Jeremy Rifkin, and think about how you can raise empathetic awareness in your own classes, with your own students. Also, when you see an opportunity to teach, counsel, or raise awareness with a student regarding empathy…….embrace it! We have all been given tremendous opportunities as educators to influence and mentor our malleable students’ lives, so take it upon yourselves to lead the way. Have a great week everyone and remember to be empathetic with our students and good to each other.

Quote of the Week………

Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other’s eye for an instant?

- Henry David Thoreau

RSA Animate – Jeremy Rifkin

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/jeremy_rifkin_on_the_empathic_civilization.html

Attachment – Walking in Others’ Shoes Helping People Get Better at Walking in Others’ Shoes http://www.mondaymusings.org/?p=448

Articles on Empathy………

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1982190,00.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/education/05empathy.html?pagewanted=all

Other blog posts by Daniel:

<< Character Education

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Blog post titled "Empathy/Social Perspective" posted on March 11, 2012

Follow Daniel and read weekly insights from an international school administrator: http://www.mondaymusings.org

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