The Roots of Empathy program, started decades ago in Canada by Mary Gordon, is expanding to the U.S. and other countries. A June 2, 2014 front-page article in The Washington Post features the program's implementation in some Washington, D.C., schools.
Trained facilitators recruit a parent with an infant to visit a classroom once a month throughout the school year. Before each visit, the students are presented with information about development, with an emphasis on social/emotional development. During the visit, they observe and interact with the baby. Research has shown positive effects on student understanding and behavior, including a reduction in bullying behaviors.
For more information about Roots of Empathy, see their website - and also Mary Gordon's book, Roots of Empathy (the first chapter can be downloaded from the web site).
While I loved the Washington Post article for the most part, I was sorry to read the last paragraph:
“People can learn a lot from Roots of Empathy,” said Kanye, June’s favorite student. “You learn how to make people feel good and treat people right.”
"June" is one of the babies. Why did the reporter state that Kayne was June's favorite student? First of all, the baby can't make this claim. And favoritism can lead to "others" being "less than" - which can be an aspect of bullying behavior. I wish an editor had caught this! I wrote to the reporter, hope it helps for next time. And it was still great to see the Roots of Empathy program publicized!
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