“If these students represent the future, then we have nothing to worry about.” These were Head of Junior School David Opat’s closing words at the recent Year 3 Term 2 assembly.

The theme for the assembly was inclusivity and the students shared with us how they had been studying this topic this term. They had a strong emphasis on understanding difference and they focused on learning about physical disability as a way to appreciate that accommodations can be made to make space for everyone. They conducted an all-abilities audit of our play spaces to see how they might be made more accessible to those with various disabilities. The students sang “It’s a Wonderful World” to us while signing in Auslan and demonstrated how they had learnt to introduce themselves, sign their names and have a basic conversation in Auslan.

I share David’s sentiments that through prioritising our students’ genuine consideration of others we aim to help them develop a lifelong mindset anchored in empathy. We are conscious that through our curriculum design, programming and experiential activities, we enable students to develop vital attitudes and skill sets that will influence who they are becoming as individuals and what it is that they care about.

The Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common Project is designed to enhance the ability of schools to develop empathy education. The project outline states that: “One role school adults can play is helping students expand their circle of concern. People are inclined to feel more empathy for those who are similar to them or in close proximity to them. But when it comes to building a school community and developing caring students, that’s not enough.”

The Project confirms that schools have the capacity to shape students’ attitudes to others and to widen their “circle of concern” to include those who may be different from them. Vital activities in this space are to learn to notice and reject stereotypes and to learn to embrace and value difference. This lay at the core of the Year 3’s learning unit.

The Project also emphasises that experiential learning is vital to fomenting belief systems. It explains: “Another important role is encouraging students to take the leap from having empathy to acting on it… Educators can help young people overcome this gap by modelling and encouraging them to take action, whether it’s standing up for someone who is teased, helping to solve a problem, or simply listening to someone who is feeling down.“

Our school-wide focus on upstanding – the importance of taking brave and sometimes uncomfortable action to intervene for others – is another expression of empathy in action.

I truly believe that through providing students with opportunities to expand their circle of concern and to learn to celebrate difference, we enable them to develop their capacity to care for others and to take the important steps that make others feel valued, included and respected for who they are.

Shabbat Shalom,

Marc Light

Principal