Last week, I began the spring round of bus meetings. I will be conducting 24 bus meetings between now and the end of May. This is my third year in the role of Conveyance Safety Officer. I have truly enjoyed the work mainly because of the good people who I work with. Meeting drivers and making their life more enjoyable has given me great joy. Furthermore, I have enjoyed the opportunity to see my old colleagues in Prairie Spirit School Division. Often times, I chat with in school administrators after bus meetings and I try to offer encouragement. My four life goals are to love others, promote peace, spread joy, and instill hope. I try to meet those goals when I chat with my loyal subjects. Remember, I am The King.
There haven't been any real chicken sightings in my garage for nearly a week, but I noticed the neighbors have new lawn ornaments bordering on my property. The ornaments are chickens, of course. It seems that the neighbor man will have to keep on farming for a few more years to pay for the neighbor lady's excesses. God, I love my neighbors!
In other news, I received word from Martensville High School regarding a scholarship/bursary that is being presented in Judy's name. What a tribute and an honor! MHS wants Haley, Mary, and me to present the bursary/scholarship during their award ceremony.
On this blog, I am trying something new. I am going to share one of my Principal's Message installments. From 1998 until 2011, I wrote a monthly newsletter article that was circulated to all the parents in the community. Eventually, the newsletter articles were sent to all ratepayers in the community. I was told by the locals that my articles were often the topic of conversation on coffee row. That's when I knew I had achieved stardom. I was particularly popular with little old ladies. Just when I thought I couldn't soar any higher, a rural paper, The Country Press asked whether they could use my Principal's Message as a regular column in their paper. Now, my influence was reaching into major centers such as Swanson and Kinley...maybe even Blumenheim. I have always been what I call an "Outhouse Philosopher". What I share, may not be based on scholarly writing or extensive research, but the ideas I share are based on my personal experience and personal convictions. If I don't believe it, I don't write it.
The following is an example. There will be more to follow.
Principal’s Message
During the past summer, I was
sitting at my campsite watching some children racing to the playground
equipment. There was an eleven year old
boy who was in the lead followed by a seven year old girl and a five year old
boy. The girl tripped on her flip flops
and fell into a very painful looking face plant. What happened next was really quite
remarkable. The boy turned around, asked
whether the girl was hurt, helped her to her feet, and assisted her back to her
parents’ campsite for the necessary first aid.
I was struck by the level of empathy shown by the young lad.
Although some children seem to be
born with a greater amount of empathy, I believe there is much we can do to
nurture the virtue within young people.
One of the character education programs that we use at our school is
called The Second Step Program. Teaching Empathy is one of the three major
skills developed by the program. In
fact, teaching empathy is the first step in teaching the Second Step program.
Empathy training begins with
learning to identify feelings in general.
Using pictures supplied with The Second Step program, students learn to
identify, label, and manage the feelings they experience. When children are able to name how they feel,
it becomes easier for them to make sense of their world. In later stages of empathy training, children
learn how their actions affect others.
When I was a younger man, I used
to think people were wrong with the way they felt. When I did something that made a family
member or friend angry, I would say they were wrong to feel that way. What I have learned over time is: feelings
are neither right nor wrong. They are
real. However, what we do with our
feelings can be right or wrong. If a
child is angry, it is wrong to put their hand through a window, but it would be
right to go for a long run that would lower your adrenaline levels. As children advance through empathy training,
they learn what to do with their feelings.
Perhaps the most powerful way to
teach empathy is to model empathy. When
children see parents practicing empathy, they are more likely to be
empathetic. Furthermore, giving children
opportunities to be empathetic and praising them for acts of kindness will
develop empathy. Encouraging older
children to mentor or tutor younger children will also develop empathy. Students who are kindergarten helpers and
care buddies who listen to younger children read learn the needs and feelings
of others.
Ultimately,
children who learn empathy are more caring, less judgemental, appreciative,
less likely to bully, and happier.
Empathetic children build healthy, trusting relationships with others
and as a result, they are more likely to have meaningful friendships. On the other hand, children who are not
sensitive to other people’s feelings and selfishly look after their own
interest usually end up lonely and stressed.
In this month of new beginnings and resolutions, let us all resolve to
be more empathetic and and determined to teach our children to be more
empathetic.
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