There are many reasons why the Roots of Empathy Instructor is most effective on the Green Blanket with the parents and the baby during the Family Visit. Being close to the baby and the parent allows the Instructor to demonstrate the attachment relationship and to take advantage of opportunities presented by the ‘Tiny Teacher’ on the blanket. When sitting close to the family, the Instructor can point out many of the curriculum connections to temperament, neuroscience and attachment/attunement. Being level with the baby allows you to take advantage of the baby’s cues and subtle forms of communication through facial expressions and body language. This position also allows Instructors a direct view of all the students providing opportunities to notice any children who may want to contribute. The Instructor can also encourage participation by asking direct questions and drawing out the quieter, less engaged students. This seating position is also useful in supporting those students who are more distractible and challenging during a Family Visit. Having them sit beside the Instructor/or Classroom Teacher provides more opportunities for engagement.

The parent(s) as well as the baby should be on the Green Blanket during the Family Visit. It is easier to highlight the attachment and attunement of the parent and baby when they are in close proximity of each other. The baby will often look at the parent, lean back on mom’s leg, touch dad’s body for security or bury their face into the parent’s lap. This physical contact shows the need for the baby to feel secure before being able to engage with toys or students during the Family Visit. Highlighting the importance and impact that this relationship has on the developing brain are part of the neuroscience lessons within the Roots of Empathy Curriculum. These subtle moments of interaction, which demonstrate attunement between the parent and baby, are lost with too much distance between them.

The main idea is that all children should have an unobstructed view of the Roots of Empathy family. This may require two rows of children around the Green Blanket which will need to be rotated regularly. Having the baby, parent and yourself at one end of the Green Blanket allows all the children a direct view of the baby and encourages active participation. Children can become distracted during a Family Visit and classroom management is easier when all students are engaged. Children’s perspectives and observations of the baby’s intentions and feelings are more specific and detailed when they are able to see the Roots of Empathy family.

If the Classroom Teacher is positively engaged in supporting the Roots of Empathy Instructor, then the children gain a clear understanding that the teacher thinks the program is important and values the messages being taught

Teachers who are actively involved in Roots of Empathy lessons tell us how important the program has been in helping them become more connected to their students. They describe the laughter, celebration and empathy that grows in the classroom even when nobody from Roots of Empathy is present. Often, teachers are unsure of their role within the program and would appreciate guidance and support in becoming a part of Roots of Empathy lessons. 

Teachers rarely have the opportunity to just watch their students and may appreciate the time to learn more about who the children are. In the Pre- and Post-Visits you can help guide the teacher as where they might best contribute during various activities. Invite the teacher to join in the conversations, checking that they feel comfortable ahead of time. 

The teacher can also help you record student responses and during Family Visits, the teacher can take on the role of photographer. Children really appreciate having the Teacher join them on the Green Blanket when the teacher is not taking photographs.

If the local media contacts you about doing a story on Roots of Empathy, take down their name and contact information to provide to your Mentor. It is important to get in touch with your Mentor that day. You will need to make sure your permission forms have been received for the Parent and Baby, the Classroom Teacher as well as most of the children participating in the program.

Your Mentor and Roots of Empathy will evaluate this media opportunity.  Please make sure your that the Classroom Teacher is comfortable with the media in their classroom and that the Family is comfortable with the prospective visit as well.

Remember, Roots of Empathy is here to support you through any media visits.  We will keep in touch throughout the process to help ease some of the anxiety that you may be feeling.

From time to time, a Roots of Empathy Family cannot complete the program. There can be many reasons for this. If your Roots of Empathy Family cannot complete the year, please contact me as soon as possible. We’ll assess the situation together and figure out how move forward given your individual circumstances. Let’s set up a time to talk.

Please note: if your Family is considering discontinuation because the volunteer parent is returning to work, we are able to provide the parent with a letter of support to their employer explaining the program and the parent’s volunteer time. Often, employers are willing and supportive of letting the parent take the time once every three weeks to continue to complete the balance of Family Visits until the end of the Roots of Empathy program year.

Roots of Empathy is a gift to the classroom teacher, providing teachers with the rare opportunity to be with the children as a participant and observer outside of regular instruction. In Roots of Empathy, students learn through their relationship with the Instructor and benefit from the fresh perspective of an adult who has no history with the class. Having teachers actively participate rather than deliver the program increases its impact and provides a unique and powerful opportunity for the Classroom Teacher to gain deeper insights into the social and emotional development of their students.

Research has shown that Roots of Empathy has an exceptionally high rate of implementation (all 27 Roots Of Empathy lessons are taught) as a result of having an external instructor delivering the program. The responsibilities of the Roots of Empathy Instructor, as outlined in the Roots of Empathy Commitment, are extensive. The program requires a commitment to the full and timely delivery of 27 weekly classroom lessons and a substantial amount of out-of-class preparation including a home visit with the Roots of Empathy Family and regular communication with the parent(s). These responsibilities, combined with the existing high demands on classroom teachers’ time and the immediacy of their students’ needs, would make it daunting for a classroom teacher to honour the commitment of being the Roots of Empathy Instructor and could compromise the implementation integrity of the Roots of Empathy program, negatively affecting fidelity. The classroom teacher is never the Roots of Empathy Instructor. Roots of Empathy is a gift to the classroom teacher.

Roots of Empathy is a social and emotional learning program which has proven impact at all age levels. Given that the program works for all children who receive it, the question becomes, what is the Principal’s main objective in implementing the program. Typically, when Principals are most interested in prevention, they introduce the program to the youngest children (Kindergarten and Grade 1). At this level, educators are often aware that the brain is most plastic in these early years and therefore very receptive to the Roots of Empathy messages. The immediate impact of the program is less obvious, but many Principals and Early Years teachers feel the contribution to children’s mental health is significant.

When Principals are most concerned about bullying and cruel behaviour, they generally introduce the program using the Junior and Senior curriculum. The impact of the program is more obvious with this age group as we see a decrease in aggression (including bullying) and an increase in social and emotional understanding. “Roots of Empathy teaches you to be nice to others and that everybody has feelings. It also teaches you how to take care of yourself by expressing your feelings to other people. If you help others learn how to do it, the world could be a better place. There can be less fights, violence and feelings being hurt by peoples words and that is a world I could live in without being afraid of bullies. A couple of people bully me and my life would be a whole lot better if that world could be our world!!!” (10 year old Student)

When Principals are aware of the importance of social and emotional learning (SEL), they often want to introduce Roots of Empathy when the children are learning to read (ages 6-8). Teaching emotional literacy as Roots of Empathy does, alongside with teaching traditional literacy, has proven a strong combination for many Principals who believe that learning to relate is equally important as learning to read. Principals and teachers are amazed at children’s growing receptive and expressive emotional vocabulary. “I believe that it has a large impact. The students are far more aware of how a baby shows its feelings and how he/she might feel, and of the language of feelings. Then they, the students can better express their own personal feelings at home and at school. This very ability to express their feelings helps prevent many social difficulties, and will follow the students throughout their life.” (Grade 1 Teacher)

Key research findings from multiple independent studies conducted in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK show that children perceived a more positive classroom environment by the end of the program. Children from all age levels also exhibit:

1. A decrease in aggression
2. An increase in prosocial behaviour
3. An increase in social and emotional understanding
4. An increase in knowledge of parenting

A follow-up study of the program also indicates that improvements in prosocial behaviours and reduced aggression are maintained and enhanced for years afterwards.

Some children need more transition time than others. The Pre-Family Visit and Post-Family Visit Roots of Empathy lessons are significantly different from the rest of the children’s day. We can save instructional time by supporting smooth and quick transitions. Starting with the Roots of Empathy Welcome Song brings all children together and connects emotional parts of their brain while bringing them together metaphorically in harmony. The anchoring of the song can be followed by the check in of how they are feeling with their thumbs exercise. These two activities combined with the support of the classroom teacher in achieving this smooth transition are a formula for success.

It is important to debrief with the Roots of Empathy parent(s) following every Family Visit in order to check in and support them in feeling comfortable. This debrief will also help you continue to develop your relationship with the parent(s) and help them to deepen their understanding of the Roots of Empathy program and their role. This can be done simply by asking them how they felt the visit went when walking your Roots of Empathy family out of the school. When parents feel comfortable in the Roots of Empathy class, they freely highlight their attachment and attunement with their baby, take risks, for example, by singing to their baby or answering student’s questions and feel valued for their contributions.

Theme 9 is called Goodbye and Good Wishes because we need to help the children prepare for a separation from their baby. This is often difficult for the children no matter how old they are. Also, you as an Instructor may be surprised to find that you feel emotional at the ninth Family Visit when the children present their wishes to the family. The activities in Theme 9 are designed to support a meaningful last Family Visit and a healthy end to the program.

The Roots of Empathy Program Wrap-Up Sheet will help you organize yourself to wrap up the program and make this a smooth transition.

At the end of the program year, we often hear from Instructors that they feel changed. The changes they refer to are usually about how they see themselves as a parent or a friend,  because they have developed their own emotional literacy and their field of vision has expanded. The information on temperament softens us and allows us to be more forgiving of ourselves and the other. The perspective taking allows space and depth for considering how the other person feels. The reflective questioning, when used in one’s personal life, brings clarity and closeness. One Instructor jokingly shared with Mary Gordon that Roots of Empathy saved her marriage. Many Instructors share that they have only started to focus on how they think, learn and problem solve as they are teaching these concepts to the children. Metacognition is a valuable tool for self-understanding, making decisions and informed choices. We hope that the journey has afforded Instructors the opportunity to see themselves in a gentler light and to realize the power of teaching through questioning and listening.