I would like to begin with the statement from the text which says “Human beings are born with the capacity for kindness and compassion; however, that capacity has to be nurtured to be fully realized (Tomlinson & Murphy, 2018).” I believe that empathy and compassion are values that I truly hold dear especially as a teacher. This is something that I learned as a student in the past and now I am passing it on to my students in the present and the future. I agree that all of us have the capacity to be kind and compassionate with other people and the environment where we grow and develop helps us to realize this capacity (Keltner, 2004). According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, we humans have internal and external needs (Zhou & Brown, 2015). Most of these needs are satisfied externally or through our interaction with our environment particularly with people. More often than not, our need to be understood, to be appreciated, or to be consoled can only be satisfied by relevant and even random individuals. Personally, most of the time, I get by life's problems and difficulties with every kindness and empathy I receive from my family, friends, loved ones, and even random people. A little act of compassion goes a long way during challenging times and I think that I would have been in a worse situation had it not been for the people who supported and encouraged me (Mindful Staff, n.d.). As a teacher, I believe that the same dynamics work for my students. As new findings in neuroscience would present, the brain is a social organ, and therefore learning is at its maximum when there is interaction, understanding, harmony, and support that is felt (Tomlinson & Murphy, 2018). Cognitive processes are also believed to be in its minimum function when a person feels down or unsafe. This means that teachers need to provide a more secure and nurturing environment for the students in order for their brain to function well. Our students come to school with plenty of circumstances affecting the way they learn. Some are experiencing family problems, others are victims of bullying, and there are those going through personal trials and crises. As a teacher, we need to be aware and vigilant with how our students act, the verbal and non verbal cues, and the behavior pattern they convey. Our task goes beyond content and academics, we are also tasked to be a parent, a brother or a sister, and a friend. The kindness and compassion we extend to our students nurture their own ability to show these noble qualities towards others. The love that we show them will surely be paid forward in the way they will treat their friends and family. With this in mind we should look at our students in the eyes of empathy. In most cases of misbehavior, there is always an underlying reason that appeals to our charity and understanding. While we know that there is a need to maintain order and discipline by instituting certain consequences, more important is the formative opportunity that we can extend to our students. Understanding their behavior, how and why they behave that way, relative to their maturity and development is crucial for a student's growth. We need to drive the idea that we are correcting the behavior and not blaming the person, and that mistakes are something we can learn from. I do agree that schools should institutionalize the concept of empathy. This should be part of how we operate as a community and a family. School leaders must be at the forefront of advancing an empathetic environment by providing appropriate guidelines and actions that should permeate in every corner of the school. I am always reminded by the wise words of St. John Baptist De La Salle, that our mission as educators is so noble that we are here to teach minds, touch hearts, and transform lives. Reference KELTNER, D. (2004, March 1). The Compassionate Instinct. Greater Good. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_compassionate_instinct Mindful Staff (Ed.). (n.d.). How to Be More Compassionate: A Mindful Guide to Compassion. Mindful.org. https://www.mindful.org/how-to-be-more-compassionate-a-mindful-guide-to-compassion Tomlinson, C. A., & Murphy, M. (2018, March). The empathetic school. Educational Leadership, 75(6), 20-27. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar18/vol75/num06/The-Empat hetic-School.aspx Thompson, R. (2018). Social and personality development in childhood. NOBA. https://nobaproject.com/modules/social-and-personality-development-in-childhood#abstr act Zhou, M. & Brown, D. (Spring 2015). Educational learning theories. Educational Psychology Commons. https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=education-textbook s
