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Setting roots of empathy in students

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Respect: Karen Huyter and son Jackson and Zoë Crocker are past participants of School District #83’s Roots of Empathy program.

Rarely do parents get the chance to show-and-tell like they did when they were kids. But for mother of four, Karen Huyter, that’s exactly what she was able to do through a program called Roots of Empathy -- sharing her fourth son Jackson, with a classroom of curious students.

An evidence-based program, Roots of Empathy brings parents and their infants into the classroom in an effort to reduce aggression and bullying.

Huyter said she decided to participate in Roots of Empathy because it was for her oldest son Matthew’s Grade 1/2 split at Salmon Arm West Elementary. The timing also worked out, she says, noting the babies are newborns when they enter classrooms in September.

“I think it’s good to see some kids, who have never been exposed to babies, -- like only children -- learn through a baby what it means to be sad, to be happy, to be scared,” she said. “Babies have such raw emotions.”

Witnessing the growing relationship between Jackson and students throughout the year was an exciting phenomenon, she said.

“They became so familiar with him. They would all try to talk to him and make him laugh and ask questions based on what they had seen before. It was like he was a rock star,” she said. “The kids’ reactions to him were always cute. They were so astounded with him. It’s nice to see that gentle side to kids, that side you don’t always see on the playground.”

While students observed Jackson, Huyter said she became more aware of his developmental changes.

“It really opened my eyes to ‘Oh, he does do that now!’ It made me more observant with what he was doing,” she said, noting some of his firsts happened right in the classroom, like learning how to play peekaboo.

Jackson’s social progression was evident also, she adds.

“Once he got older he would definitely put on a show. He’s definitely a very social child. I don’t know if that started it,” she laughed.

Parkview Elementary teacher Jodi Crocker has experienced the program both as a teacher and a mom. Last year, she visited a Grade 2/3 classroom at South Broadview with her daughter Zoë

“It was fun being the mom and having Zoë in the classroom. It was really neat to see the kids interact with Zoë and some of the questions and stories they had made you laugh. Especially in the Grade 2/3 class because kids don’t know how to censor,” she said.

Five years ago, Crocker had baby Damen join her Grade 6/7 class.

“I think it’s a really good way to teach kids what empathy is,” said Crocker, who for the second time, has a baby in her classroom this school year.

Ricki Meyer is Damen’s mother.

“I had never heard about the program before, but when they told me about it I thought it would be really cool,” said Meyer, who was introduced by word-of-mouth.

“I think the program is really great. A large part of it is about not hurting other kids,” she said. “I think they’re trying to show that we’re all babies at one time, so when you’re hurting someone, it’s really like you’re hurting Damen.”

Meyer said the experience was fun because while she saw changes in students, she saw them in Damen also.

“Every month he was a little more advanced. When we first started going he would cry if people went to reach out to him but at the end he was raring to go into the classroom,” she said.

For four years, Janet Aitken, principal of Salmon Arm West Elementary, has been the key-point person for Roots of Empathy - a program that has operated in  School District #83 for 10 years.

“I really believe in the value of the program,” said Aitken, who as a teacher, had the opportunity to have a baby visit her own classroom. “I really think it changes the way kids look at other kids. It really does focus on teaching children the whole range of emotions and the key is teaching empathy – what they think the baby is feeling and then projecting that onto the playground. You do see that carry over.”

Barb Puetz, family school liaison worker for SD#83, has been a program facilitator for five years.

“It gives kids a different way of looking at themselves,” she said, noting the program describes communication as an “emotional vocabulary.”

“Learning about what do we do when we are sad and how we get our needs met, helps kids recognize their own feelings,” she said, noting Roots of Empathy is a program all children should experience.

“Ideally, in a perfect world, it would be something every child would have the opportunity to experience. I wish it could be more widespread.