Our school instituted six school-wide character lessons several years ago. The topics included the development of scholarly habits, the power of zero, GRIT, and ways to combat bullying on campus. We have two sets of lessons that alternate by year that way 7th graders do not receive the same lesson in 8th grade.

Some of the lessons are more powerful than others (but isn’t that the way all lessons are in the classroom?). But in thinking about the development of a culturally responsive classroom environment, I think that we have one gap in our lessons and that is on the topic of empathy.

For my classes, the topic of empathy is not new. In fact, it was a goal of mine several years ago to integrate lessons to help students develop historical empathy. According to Nieto’s (2008) levels of multicultural education support, the end goal is to develop a learning environment that goes beyond tolerance, acceptance, and respect to one that encompasses affirmation, solidarity, and critique. In fact, Nieto (2008) wrote the “most powerful learning results when students work and struggle with one another, even if it is sometimes difficult and challenging” (p. 26). This notion of working and struggling with one another will only be successful if students develop empathy skills.

So that got me thinking. What kind of character lesson could our school design that introduces students to the notion of empathy? One website that all history teachers should know about is Teaching Tolerance. When looking for lessons specifically about empathy, I came across one that might work for our school: Developing Empathy. This lesson should take about 15 – 20 minutes depending on how long teachers allot for the activity portion. But it has good bones and is something worth considering as an addition to our character lessons. One of the things I would add to this lesson, however, is a hook. It’s one thing to tell students what empathy means, but I think visuals tell a more powerful story. Check out the following videos as I think both would generate a good discussion about what empathy looks like before proceeding to the activity from the Developing Empathy lesson:

I think either or both videos are a good place to begin a conversation about empathy, what it means, what it looks like, and why it’s an important skill to develop. Because let’s face it, our society could use a serious reminder about what empathy is.

References

Nieto, S. (2008). Affirmation, solidarity and critique: Moving beyond tolerance in education. In E. Lee, D. Menkart, & M. Okazawa-Rey (Eds.), Beyond heroes and holidays (pp. 18-29). Washington, DC: Teaching for Change.

I got into the teaching profession because I love working with children. Sure, they can drive me crazy (did I mention that I teach middle school?!?!), but they also bring such joy in their innocence and goof-ball antics. I’m lucky in that I work with a culturally diverse faculty and student body because there’s so much to learn and appreciate from those who have a different story. It’s not always sunshine and puppies, but that’s the purpose of growing pains.

I came across an article shared by a peer in my doctoral program (TY @19Chr1stine) that asked the question “Can Equity be Taught?” It brought to light the fact that quite a bit of the struggles teachers experience in the classroom are due to factors that are not necessarily academic. The Edutopia article focused on disciplinary and academic issues that stemmed from a teacher’s disconnect between their cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds and that of their students. Another article was based on a study that examined racial mismatch that influenced teacher expectations for their students. This study was enlightening because it highlighted the differences in expectations between teachers and students who shared the same race or whose race was different. It’s a bit hard to read in that I think all of us have been guilty of this offense at some point in our career.

While the Edutopia article introduced ways that districts and other educational organizations are attempting to address this issue, it might feel to some as if teachers are being demonized for not being sensitive or cognizant enough to racial, ethnic, or cultural differences. But I want to make it very clear…teaching and being a teacher is a learning process. It’s a process of discovery that occurs not only between teacher-student or student-student, but also introspectively within oneself. In fact, I think what everyone in the world needs right now is a huge dose of compassion. Compassion for each other. Compassion for oneself. Compassion for those with whom you disagree. You get my drift.

I think if teachers came from a place of compassion when approaching each and every day with their students, it would change the dynamic of the entire classroom environment and the relationships within. This topic brings to mind a book I read last summer called The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model by Dr. Mariele Hardiman. In this book (as well as the website), Dr. Hardiman highlights ways to develop and nurture a learning environment that is inclusive for all learners. In particular, Brain-Target 1 Emotional Climate is one area that could help build a learning community that is supportive, safe, and caring. It’s a great read and if you’re a classroom teacher, I almost feel like it’s a must read especially if you work with a culturally diverse student population.

I’ll leave you with a question from the Edutopia article: “Is a problem that a teacher sees as stemming from a student’s character or behavior sometimes really about the school’s discipline policies, or about cultural differences between the way the teacher and student perceive the unfolding situation?” (Berwick, 2017).

Just remember, show compassion to yourself. Make it a goal, a project that you constantly keep in the forefront of your mind. Emotional, spiritual, and mental growth does not happen overnight. And for some of us, it’s a mindset change to think different. But we need to do this. Our students deserve teachers who are kind to themselves, but also who are not above admitting that perhaps the current way of doing things isn’t necessarily going to work any more. To be a culturally responsive educator, we need to be open to all that we are and all that our students bring to our classrooms. It’s not easy holding a mirror up to one’s actions and thoughts. But how else will we ever grow as a human being?

One facet of multicultural education is the notion of equity versus equality in educational policies and practices. Federal legislation has attempted to address the inequality of resources and access to education through the passage of legislation such as Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Individuals with Disabilities Act (2004), Race to the Top Fund (2009), and the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (2015). Federal funds and policies influence what happens at the state, district, and school levels. However, despite efforts from policymakers, educators, and the private sector, income and race-based stratification remains as equality only addresses part of the problem. Equity plays an equal and key role in a child’s education (Banks, 2016).

The following video is an interview of Dr. Karl Alexander as he shares the culmination of his 30-year study on the influence of socioeconomic status and race on youth growing up in Baltimore beginning in early 1980s. This longitudinal study began with children enrolled in the 1st grade and followed their progress (and life) until early adulthood. It’s an enlightening video that explains the intersectionality between race, socioeconomic status, and education–all components that comprise a culturally diverse learning environment found in many of our schools today.

Dr. Alexander’s video brings to the forefront the influence of socioeconomic status on student learning. I was first introduced to his work through a short video on the summer slide (e.g., summer learning loss, summer gap) and how summer break disproportionality affected low-income childrens’ (irrespective of race) rate of academic growth when compared to middle class children. The academic and socioeconomic trajectory of children has been found to be based in large part on the socioeconomic status of their home life growing up (Lareau, 2011). And I don’t mean to say that race does not also play a significant role because it does. However, it appears that socioeconomic status has a slight edge in the influence department.

National programs like Head Start and Summer Bridge to local programs such as summer school (remedial) and summer institute (enrichment) seek to provide support to eliminate or reduce summer slide for low-income and/or minority students. Thus, it’s important as educators that we are cognizant and remain vigil of the barriers that prevent our students from achieving their personal best. Though we cannot erase poverty, we can and must provide our students with the appropriate scaffolds and support they need. We need to help bridge the gap between socioeconomic status and student learning.

References

Banks, J. A. (2016). Cultural diversity and education: Foundations, curriculum, and teaching (6th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Lareau, A. (2011). Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.