When you enter a classroom running a Roots of Empathy programme, you might find the teacher looks a little different to normal. Sure, he might be wearing an official T-shirt that reads “Teacher”, but he’s also as likely to be having a quick nap or looking for a snack. In this lesson, the teacher might be just a few months old, but don’t let the adorability factor fool you. This baby is here to help primary school students learn how to manage their own emotions, read physical cues and understand the concept of empathy, a characteristic that Roots of Empathy founder Mary Gordon believe is the functional key that can determine either a good life or a difficult life, for both the students themselves and those around them. “As children develop empathy, they become more adept at finding the humanity in one another. Without empathy, we can’t get to conflict resolution, altruism, or peace,” she writes in her book Roots of Empathy: Changing the World Child by Child.
The charity, Roots of Empathy, launched in Mary’s native Canada in 1996, but its ties to New Zealand run deep: we were the first country outside Canada to pick up the programme, in 2006. Helen Clark, then prime minister, met with Mary and was a supporter of the programme from the beginning.
Mary’s message is that if you can teach children how to manage their own emotions, rather than fear them, they learn in turn how other people feel. And it’s harder to hurt people if you know that their hurt feels just the same as yours. The idea came from Mary’s work as a teacher, particularly with teenage mothers. Some of these young mums faced a litany of issues: addiction, domestic violence, incarceration, poverty. Mary created a network of Parenting and Family Literacy Centres in Toronto, which has now been adopted by the provincial government.
This story is from the February 2020 edition of Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2020 edition of Australian Women’s Weekly NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Spotlight on Vitamin D
Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D, but safe sun exposure is still essential.
Coming up roses
Driven by a renewed interest in the flower’s power, a rose renaissance is dawning.
'I was given a 5% chance of survival'
When Caroline Laner Breure was hit by a car in an horrific accident on a Spanish holiday with her boyfriend, her body and her dreams were shattered. Somehow she found the will to go on living.
Time to celebrate our mothers
Author Kathy Lette gives a heartfelt thank you to her magnificent mum, Val - a baker of fairy cakes with the patience of a saint.
"I am lucky to be here" ”
Since the day she walked onto the MasterChef Australia set back in 2009, Julie Goodwin has openly shared her life. But in writing a memoir, she had to examine the demons she'd battled privately... until now.
JAMIE OLIVER at your service
Returning to the set of MasterChef Australia to help steer a path through grief and spread happiness, the celebrity chef is also at a turning point - he opens up about failure, love, second chances and his endless reservoir of joie de vivre.
From one mum to another
Princess Catherine's public announcement struck a chord with mum-of-two Jane Gillard. She shares her story of parenting through cancer- and offers hope for the princess and mums navigating their own health journey while raising primary-aged kids.
The courage of Princess Catherine "You are„, not alone"
It was a rare personal address that she shouldn’t have had to make. But with conspiracy theories swirling and the slimmed-down “Firm” under fire, Princess Catherine silenced critics with searing courage and dignity.
THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE
When Tracy Hall fell for Max Tavita, she fell for a mirage. Max was a false identity created by a con man, and Tracy was the latest in a long line of women whose life savings hed stolen.
Amother's GIFT
In December last year, Australia’s first uterus transplant recipient, Kirsty Bryant, gave birth to Henry, a happy, healthy baby boy. The uterus that had made this little miracle possible had been donated by her mother, Michelle. Five months later, their first Mother’s Day since Henry’s birth feels especially precious.
