Since the beginning of the school year, Baby Max (6 months)
and Baby Thomas (8 months) have been coming to school
with their mother. Each month, Danielle Leclerc’s Grade 1-
2 class and Cara Langemann’s Grade 2 class welcome these
special visitors. The sessions are part of the “Roots of
Empathy” pilot project, introduced last September at Rose-
des-Vents. The project, a first for the British Columbia
francophone community, is made possible by a grant from
the national Roots of Empathy organization.

Monthly throughout the school year, a parent from the school
community, accompanied by her baby, meets with the
students. Guided by a certified Roots of Empathy instructor,
the students observe the baby’s development, interact with
him and discover his needs. Marie-Andrée Asselin is one of
the mothers participating in the Rose-des-Vents project.
During her monthly visits to Cara Langemann’s class, the
students gather around Marie-Andrée and Thomas and sing,
“Bonjour les amis...” After each student has had a chance to
touch Thomas’s toes in greeting, the children are extremely
anxious to ask questions and comment on the baby’s
development. The other project mother is Shauna Fedder
and her son, Max. The students in Danielle Leclerc’s class
also adore the baby’s visits. When Shauna arrives in the
classroom with Max, she’s met with total silence—all eyes
are on Max.

The Roots of Empathy program was founded in 1996 by
Mary Gordon, a Toronto educator specializing in school-
family programs. The program is designed for children ages
3 to 14. Often, a parent, teacher, nurse, or other individual
from the community guides the visits, often on a volunteer
basis.

To learn more about the
ee Roots of Empathy program,

with you!

| vm visit the website:

www.rootsofempathy.org.

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Exogamous families’ a8
© sothe word of
francophone education

6 Jufo-Parents

The Roots of Empathy

By KaTHRYN PEDERSEN, COUNSELLOR, ROSE-DES-VENTS

Research has shown the effectiveness of the

program in:

increasing prosocial behaviour;

decreasing aggressive behaviour in children;

increasing a student’s empathy toward his peers;

helping to develop parenting skills;

helping students to understand that each person is

unique and learn the importance of acceptance; and
6. learning how to identify and express feelings.

All of these goals are achieved through the relationship

between the children and a baby from the community through

visits accompanied by the baby’s mother.

aAPoON>

Empathy is the ability to identify with another person’s
feelings. The children of today are the parents of tomorrow.
According to the Roots of Empathy brochure, “when children
understand how others feel, they are less likely to hurt each
other through bullying, exclusion and violence.” The Rose-
des-Vents students involved in the project have an opportunity
to better understand themselves and their friends...but, above
all, they really look forward to the baby’s next visit!

Inspirée du guide pour les familles exogames I’m with you!, cette brochure donne
__ de précieux conseils et idées pratiques pour le parents anglophone d’une famille
| exogame (ou I’un des parents est non-francophone). Info : 604.736.5056 ou
1.800.905.5056 // www.fpfcb.bc.ca