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Teaching Empathy All Year Long at North Linden Elementary School
November 4, 2021 -- Like many principals, especially elementary schools at Columbus City Schools, Sarah Foster is outside or by the front door every day greeting students as they start their school day at North Linden Elementary School.
“Hey, how are you?” Principal Sara Foster asks one student. To another student who is moving a little slowly this morning, Foster asks, “Are you doing alright, or do you need some love? It’s always important that our students feel this school is a safe place for them no matter where they come from or what burdens they might be carrying.”
At North Linden Elementary, Foster believes it is essential to teach all students how to be empathic and what empathy looks like. To do that, they have started monthly “empathy read alouds.”
Every month, a book is shared school-wide across all grades. During the monthly staff meeting, teachers are given the book and lessons to prepare them, and the students for the conversations and issues that may come up after the book is read in class. In October, North Linden students read The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig. The story is about how a simple act of kindness transforms a little boy who felt nobody noticed him into a friend.
“Books help kids relate,” said Foster. “Some of these books can bring up issues that can be very emotional for young students. All of our teachers know that our classrooms at North Linden are safe places where students can share things and be supported.”
The monthly lessons on empathy are valued at North Linden, whether you are in a classroom on the first floor or walking the hallway on the second floor. There is artwork on the wall and writing assignments on display. All of it is about the book, The Invisible Boy, which is many things, but one thing it is not is invisible at North Linden Elementary. In fact, when Superintendent and CEO Dr. Talisa Dixon stopped by the school last month, a student gave Dr. Dixon a copy of the book to keep.
Here is the list of books about empathy that North Linden Elementary School is reading during the 2021-2022 school year:
- August - You, Me and Empathy by Jayneen Sanders
- September - Most People by Michael Leannah and Jennifer E. Morris
- October - The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
- November - Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
- December - Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
- January - Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
- February - Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller
- March - Save Me a Seat by Gita Varadarajan
- April - Chocolate Milk, Por Favor! by Cindy Dismondy
- May - I Am Human by Susan Verde