Roots of Empathy
To those who are just meeting me now, you may not know that I have a secret past life as an educator. During my teacher training, I learned about a program called Roots of Empathy and was so excited to incorporate this into my own future classroom. I didn’t make it long enough in the field to get my own classroom (another rant for another post) but when I found out I was pregnant, one of the things I looked forward to was participating in the same program with my babe. Roots of Empathy is a curriculum that strives to break the intergenerational cycle of violence and poor parenting though positive lessons delivered to all children, not just the bullies or the ‘bad kids’ who ‘need’ this type of extra program. You can learn more here.
Because I’m still super Type A, I got in touch with the provincial coordinator of the program well before the school year started and was contacted by the Early Years Center run out through the Wesely Urban Ministry. We were matched with a grade ½ class in an inner city Catholic school here in Hamilton.
Our first visit was an eye opener. I’m no stranger to poverty having lived and travelled in East Africa and Nepal, but seeing it in your own city, just a few minutes away from your home, is tough to stomach. After a warning from the teacher that I shouldn’t put my bag or carseat on the floor because they ‘weren’t yet sure of the bed bug situation this year’ I’ll admit I had second thoughts about exposing my tiny infant to this environment. However, when the kids came in the door, bursting with excitement that today was the day baby Finley was here, I could barely contain my joy. Turns out, Baby Finley, as she would be known for the entirety of our participation, had been introduced to the school that morning at an assembly and this class was the envy of the school for having their own baby. I was hooked.
Over the course of the year, Finley and I, Fin’s dad, and sometimes Fin's little buddies, would visit for an hour every 3 weeks. There are set modules in the curriculum that address nutrition, health, sleep, personality, and feelings, and our visits loosely touched on these topics. Typically, we would spend a few minutes answering questions they had about Finley and the topic at hand, and then open up the floor to any other questions they might have about a baby, which were mostly about their shock that she drinks milk from my body (ie Breastmilk, which just resulted in giggles).
Since we started visiting our little friends when Fin was just 4 months old, our class has watched her learn to roll, sit, crawl and now stand. Watching a room full of 6 year olds celebrating the accomplishments of your baby is enough to warm the hardest of hearts. They are so excited when she can do something new, and love to tell me, ‘last time she couldn’t do that!’ The kids love seeing her interact with them and trying to get her to smile or laugh. On every visit, kids will share a story from when they went home and told their parents about our lesson. This is what the program is all about- sharing positive parenting stories through the generations, in the hope of promoting social literacy, empathy and responsible citizenship in the next generation. Fin doesn't know it, but because of her, these kids are engaging their parents in positive discussions.
Finley has always been a friendly baby and curious about all types of people. Having her interact with children, different adults, and new environments benefits her development as well. She gets so excited to have a room full of eyes on her, and loves to crawl and explore the children’s faces and voices.
I am so happy I was able to participate as a mother in this program with Finley. I am newly aware of the continued need for positive parental role models in my own city and just how hard parenting is when your resources, either financial or human, are lacking. Through sharing these memories with Finley as she grows, I hope we are raising a tiny philanthropist who is able to recognize and then share her time, treasures and talents.