Empathy? He's Got It, Got It, Got It!

In my first grade classes, we started a unit on empathy this week. I explained that empathy means understanding feelings, and that having empathy can help us be a good friend and show people we care. As part of the lesson, I gave the children scenarios and asked them to show me how they'd feel if these situations happened to them. Then I called on people to name their feelings, trying to expand their vocabulary by having them think of lots of different words.

One of the activities was to show me how they'd feel if they beat the fastest runner in the class in a race. Mouths flew open, eyes scrunched up, hands went pumping and waving in the air, heads went wagging, and elation was present in the room. Then I called on kids to name their feelings. I heard excited, amazed, thrilled, happy, and surprised. Then, a shining moment occurred. I called on a sweet-faced little boy with Hershey's Kiss- colored eyes, and shyly he said, "I'd feel sorry for the boy I beat in the race." I could feel my tears spring up because this little boy is one who has overcome many behavior challenges and is trying so hard to be focused and controlled in class. I said, "Oh now, you've really taught me something today! I was thinking the same things as the other children who answered the question...excited, jubilant, but YOU have taught me to have EMPATHY and think of the other child's feelings!"

I think this little man understood the lesson better than I did! I had to interrupt the lesson to brag on him to his teacher, and she let him go hop his frog, which in her class is a big deal! Don't kids make wonderful teachers