From the Deputy Head of Junior School – Wellbeing – Sympathy, Empathy and Compassion
We often use these terms interchangeably, but when I started at MLC School I wanted to ensure that I really understood what our School Value of Compassion means and how it is different to sympathy and empathy. In short:
Sympathy means you can understand what a person is feeling.
Empathy means that you feel what a person is feeling.
Compassion is the willingness to do something to help a person who needs it.
This term our girls from Pre-K to Year 6 will be focusing on the MLC School Value of Compassion. Compassion means we care about others, treat them with kindness, and feel a strong desire to help people in need. Compassion is empathy in action. For a young child, compassion might look like giving a hug, making a card, or saying something kind to help a friend or family member who is feeling sad or upset. For someone older it might look like taking the bin out for an elderly neighbour or helping mum or dad get something done around the house.
As part of our Pastoral Care plan to bring our School Values to life there are three actions we teach the girls at MLC Junior School that shows compassion in action:
- I am kind
- I am open-minded
- I include others
Being compassionate benefits both the person/people on the receiving end AND the person being compassionate. Research shows that we feel good when we are kind to others. When people perform random acts of kindness, like helping a friend in need, they are happier than those who did more formal types of kind acts, such as helping in a food kitchen. I wonder if this is due to the act bonding or making a connection between people on a more personal level.
Understanding our differences and being open-minded and inclusive of others is also an important aspect of being compassionate. People have different values, traditions and opinions. How we see things may differ from someone else. Understanding this enables us to show compassion in ways that is helpful to the other person. Being open-minded of the diversities in our MLC School community and perhaps trying to perceive the world from other’s perspective builds acceptance and understanding of each other, which in turn, builds an inclusive community. These are important values of the Uniting Church of which we are a part.
This is also particularly important as the girls develop their social awareness and social management skills. When we have a ‘friendship fire’ it is important to express how we feel but also to listen to the other perspective so we can understand as well as being understood. This is part of the ‘talk it out’ step in solving the ‘friendship fire’. It helps us avoid judging others, builds connections and brings us closer in our friendships.
We all know that it is good to be kind to others. Kindness is an important virtue for sustaining relationships, which helps to build a trusting and cooperative society and School community.
– Joanne Sharpe
Deputy Head of Junior School – Wellbeing