Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom program which has shown dramatic effect in reducing levels of aggression and violence among school children while raising social emotional competence and increasing empathy.
Why do we need Roots of Empathy?
Today’s children receive a daily exposure to violence and aggression in the news, on TV, and video games. Society’s harsh tone needs to be actively countered in the classroom. The current focus on scholastic basics leaves little opportunity or method for fostering social and emotional learning. The result is a generation who may excel in academic literacy, but operate without a literacy of feelings. Promoting students’ social and emotional skills, as Roots of Empathy is proven to do, play a critical role in improving their academic performance.
Like all abilities, empathy is strengthened through practice. When children are able to understand another’s point of view and respect their feelings, aggressive behaviour is less likely to occur; there is a positive effect on the tone of the classroom, creating a climate of social inclusion and contributing to safe and caring schools. Roots of Empathy provides a vital foundation in emotional literacy that students will use now and in the future, to build relationships with their peers and their own children. This can have a direct impact on bullying and future levels of family and societal violence.
Part of the success of ROE is due to the universal nature of the program; all students are positively engaged and with empathy in their lives find themselves able to see beyond differences and find the humanity in their classmates. Knowledge of infant development and safety issues (Shaken Baby Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, second-hand smoke) can prevent future child abuse and builds parenting capacity for the next generation. Messages of inclusion, respect and good citizenship are core values in Roots of Empathy instruction and should be core values in a civil society.
What is unique about Roots of Empathy is that it does not target bullies or aggressive children; it does not target victims of bullying a narrow spectrum of ages. It takes a universal approach, raising the level of empathy in the entire classroom and across age groups without singling out any individual or group.
Roots of Empathy in Action
The heart of the program is a neighbourhood infant and parent, who visit the classroom once a month for the full school year. Throughout the school year, Roots of Empathy instructors conduct 27 visits, 9 of which are family visits. The ROE instructors are critical to the successful implementation of the program, as they guide the children through the 9-month curriculum, provide support and coaching to the volunteer ROE parent and coordinate with the classroom teacher.
The interactive nature of the program promotes emotional understanding. As the children observe their baby’s behaviours, they learn the names for the emotions the baby exhibits. The ROE instructor helps the children to reflect and identify similar feelings in their own experiences. Self knowledge serves as a bridge to understanding the feelings of others (empathy). Emotional literacy, the knowledge of you own feelings and the ability to be conversant with them, and responsive to the feelings of others, is a strong focus in the ROE classroom.
The instructor facilitates observations and follows up in a variety of ways, using a ROE curriculum specialized for four grade levels: Kindergarten, Primary (1-3), Junior (4-6) and Senior (7-8). The four levels of the curriculum ensure that the lesson plans and classroom activities are developmentally appropriate and respect the interests of the different age groups. The 109-page Training Manual provides the knowledge base and philosophy to support the curriculum.
During a typical ROE family visit, the baby, parent and ROE instructor gather on a special blanket on the classroom floor. Students sit in a circle around the blanket and are taken through guided observations of the baby. Students observe, ask questions, and discuss the infant’s behaviour, vocalization, temperament and overall responses. Students have an opportunity to observe the growing attachment of the baby to the parent, which provides them with a working model of responsive parenting.
Each of the family visits focuses on a different theme related to infant development. Babies are between 2 and 4 months old at the beginning of the ROE program and about one year old at its conclusion, a period of incredible growth and development in a baby’s life. Over this time, children in the program can learn to see and feel things as others see and feel them, understand how babies develop, and observe the healthy acquisition of language.
The program also has links to the school curriculum of the grade level to which it is being offered. With the instructor, students use math skills to measure and weigh their baby and chart the development. The write poems and create raps for the baby. They read stories that tap emotional literacy, such as fear, sadness, anger and shyness. Children learn to relate to their own feelings, as well as recognize these same emotions in others. When children understand how others feel, they are less likely to victimize them through bullying.
We need your help!
A very successful Roots of Empathy pilot program was delivered in six classrooms at Lincoln Avenue Public School in Cambridge. As a result we have been able to secure funding to be able to offer the Roots of Empathy program in 10 new schools in Waterloo Region beginning in October 2008. We are extremely grateful to the Cambridge and North Dumfries Community Foundation, The Gore Mutual Insurance Company Foundation, The Cambridge and North Dumfries United Way, The Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation and The Cowan Foundation whose generous support has allowed us to expand this program. Without their support this would not have been possible and now thanks to their commitment and vision more students will be exposed to the long-lasting benefits of the Roots of Empathy program.
Having read the information about ROE, you know that we will need to recruit 10 volunteer facilitators and a minimum of 26 families. If you are interested in either of these volunteer positions, please read on.
Are you interested in volunteering your time in a local school? Would you like to work with a family and baby to teach tolerance and acceptance in the classroom?
You could be a Roots of Empathy Instructor!
The Roots instructor coaches the children to observe the baby’s development, celebrate milestones, interact with the baby and learn about an infant’s needs. The instructor also visits the classroom before and after each baby visit to prepare and reinforce teachings, using a specialized curriculum that is developmentally appropriate for each of four age ranges, kindergarten (JK/SK), primary (1-3), junior (4-6) and senior (7-8). As an instructor you
There is no cost to the volunteer instructor for the training; however there is significant cost to the program for the training. Due to this investment we ask instructors to make a three year commitment to the program.