“Empathy is the ability to be able to put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand that person’s emotions and feelings” (Lee, 2012). When school age children are assessed empathy should be included in their assessment. The school district that my children attend has a zero tolerance policy for bulling. Yet it still happens, and if the student is not a strong willed student to report the bullying it can and will continue. “Empathy can also be an important factor in teaching kids what bullying is and how not to engage in bullying behavior. Teaching empathy is thus an important foundation in preventing bullying in school” (Lee, 2012). Bullying has caused students to attempt suicide. Bullying has caused students to change schools because the student doesn’t feel safe. Because of these reasons empathy needs to be measured or assessed in the schools to ensure that bullying stops in our schools.
References
Lee,K. (2012). The Importance of Boosting Emotional Intelligence and Teaching Empathy to Kids. How to teach kids empathy and emotionl intelligence and why it’s important. Retrieved from: http://childparenting.about.com/od/socialdevelopment/a/teach_empathy_and_emotional_intelligence.htm