Compassion in School Curriculum

 Research has revealed that early childhood is an important developmental time where changes are happening that shapes a child’s future. As soon as a child enters school, they are building foundational skills in literacy, math and other abilities but sometimes, the social emotional skills are neglected. Schools often do not teach children how to be kind and mindful of others when that is what holds the key to their future and makes lasting consequences. (Flook, L., Goldberg, 2015)

The purpose of this study is to examine why it is impactful to make empathy and compassion part of everyday school curriculum.

This topic came of interest for me because of all the inspirational stories I’ve read of people who made the world a little bit brighter through their acts of compassion. I’m in the beginning of my teaching career and I don’t want my classroom to just be about learning academics, but also what I can do to guide these children to become more successful later on. This has led me to research more in depth as to what it really means to be compassionate. Growing up, I have always believed that kindness is the most valuable quality a person can have which is different from just being a nice person. 

Kindness comes from within while being considerate for others. Imagine a school where everyone is concerned and mindful of others even if it is just a stranger. That would completely change the school environment. We want children to grow up to be genuinely caring and accepting of all people from within. I personally wish that a compassion curriculum was taught when I was in preschool and elementary school so that I could have a set foundation to understand others and regulate my own emotions. It would have helped me become more aware of people around me and that although my wellbeing is important, other people’s wellbeing is also important. By researching the importance of compassion in the classroom we are moving towards a big change that could benefit children throughout their whole lives.

Review of Literature

Conceptual Theoretical Framework

Compassion is defined as “.. a “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it” (Jazaieri, H. (2018). The topic of mental health is increasingly being addressed in the early childhood classrooms to enhance emotional wellbeing. “Various forms of mental health disorders can arise in the preschool period. Given the significant influence of mental health in early childhood on subsequent mental health outcomes in adolescents and adulthood, preventative measures to enhance and maintain mental health and well-being beginning at a young age are worthy pursuits.” (Jazaieri, H. (2018). Children are developing social emotional learning skills such as positive social behaviors, empathy, kindness, and high academic achievement but the question rises on how children can demonstrate it in their lives.

The question of this study is to research the importance of teaching compassion to children at a young age so they develop stronger morality, resilience and prosocial behavior. It is also to study how compassion in the classroom could enhance children’s wellbeing and lower conduct problems and emotional distress. I wanted to explore the effects of if the topic of compassion was instilled in the student curriculum for years, would it strengthen mindfulness and improve character/behavior. Many articles show that compassion could be taught to help others and to turn personal negative thoughts and feelings to kindness and sympathy.     

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