When day comes we step out of the shade / Aflame and unafraid / The new dawn blooms as we free it / For there is always light / If only we’re brave enough to see it / If only we’re brave enough to be it.
– Amanda Gorman

Can compassion be taught? Can administrators support educators in cultivating children’s compassion? An article by Neelima Chopra on the UNESCO website says “yes,” and explains:

“Research suggests that human beings are born with a strong instinct for kindness and compassion. Controlled experiments indicate that social and emotional competencies can further be cultivated during early years at home and in schools. A very good time to start teaching kindness to children is during their ‘critical early years’ — the time broadly from birth to puberty. During this period of development, the brain exhibits maximum ‘neuroplasticity’, that is the ability of the brain to form neural pathways in response to varying stimuli.”

The Out of the Box Training, Cultivating Compassionate Classrooms, offers research-based strategies and engaging, reflective practices that groups of  educators, administrators or college students can explore together to discover ways to help children develop and enhance compassionate behavior.