Heartfulness: What Empathy Looks Like in the Classroom

Alex Shellhammer Bernath guides us through what heartfulness means and how to reflect on the empathy in our schools. From infancy through school age, learn some strategies for teaching the skill of empathy.

As we examine the social-emotional growth of children, it is imperative we look at each child in particular within the context of the classroom. The Heartfulness Curriculum has created 9 domains of growth, with this focus on the domain of empathy. As an abstract concept, it is challenging for even adults to grasp but with a gentle build of domains, creating the environment of empathy, and working with the innate temperament of each child, teachers can begin the work of expanding the intentional exposure of empathy. As with many early learners, it begins with the right questions.