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Second Step - A Violence Prevention Program

In January the staff will begin using the Second Step program. From January 5th through February 18 there will be school wide emphasis on empathy. In the coming year other topics that will be covered are impulse control and anger management.

 
“Empathy is the emotion that alerts a child to another person’s plight and stirs his conscience. It is what moves children to be tolerant and compassionate, to understand other people’s needs, to care enough to help those who are hurt or troubled. A child who learns empathy will be much more understanding and caring, and will usually be more adept at handling anger.” This is from Michelle Borba’s book Building Moral Intelligence which is a great resource.
 
Lessons will be taught in class and students demonstrating empathy will be acknowledged weekly. To make this school wide program as effective as possible we would like to enlist your help. The following is a short but true story that demonstrates empathy. You might want to read it with your children and talk about it.

 

MORAL INTELLIGENCE BUILDER - A Story to Tell Kids About Empathy  / From the book Building Moral Intelligence, Borba

Michael Crisler, a first grader in Denver, CO, was born with a rare birth defect that left him with severe facial deformities.  By the age of seven, he had already experienced several painful surgeries.  So when he read about the tragedy of the Oklahome bombing, Michael identified with the victim's pain and was particulary moved by the plight of the children at the America's Kids Day Care Center in the ill-fated Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.  "I know what it feels like, he explained, "because I've been in the hospital, too."  So Michael decided to do something to aid the smallest victims of thse bombing by organizing a local bowl-a-thon.  Its success surpassed his wildest dreams.  He raised one of the largest single cash donations: $27,077.  The check, which he proudly presented to then Oklahoma govenor Frank Keating, was set aside as a relief fund for survivors and families of victims of the Oklahoma City bombing.  Michael explained, "I wanted to do this to help little kids."  The first grader's remarkable sensitivity toward the Oklahoma victims and his desire to do something to comfort them because he understood their pain clearly showed he is a child with empathy.

Michael found out about the Oklahoma bombing victims by reading about it in the newspapers and seeing it on television.  Even though he never personally met any of the victims, he felt their distress.  That's what empathy is: you understand and feel other people's concerns and needs so well that you want to do something to make their situation better.  There are many people each day who could use comforting and support.  They might live next door to you or across the ocean in a diferent country.  So keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to make a difference in people's lives.  Showing empathy is one way you can make the world a more caring place.  What could you do?