Babies vs. Bullying

In a New York Times article (November 8, 2010), "Fighting Bullying with Babies," David Bornstein talks about solutions to the trend toward bullying in schools.  He observes...

"We know that humans are hardwired to be aggressive and selfish.  But a growing body of research is demonstrating that there is also a biological basis for human compassion. ...  More importantly, we are beginning to understand how to nurture this biological potential.  It seems like it is not only possible to make people kinder, it's possible to do it systematically at scale — at least with school children.  That's what one organization, based in Toronto, called Roots of Empathy has done.

"Roots of Empathy was founded in 1996 by Mary Gordon. ...  She envisioned Roots as a seriously proactive parent education program — one that could begin when the mothers- and fathers-to-be were in kindergarten. 

"Here's how it works:  Roots arranges monthly class visits by a mother and her baby. ...  Each month for nine months, a trained instructor guides a classroom using a standard curriculum that involves three 40-minute visits — a pre-visit, a baby visit, and a post-visit.  The program runs from kindergarten to seventh grade.  During the visits, the children sit around the baby and mother (sometimes it is the father) ... and they try to understand the baby's feelings. 

"[I have observed Root of Empathy's work.]  What I find most fascinating is how the baby actually changes children's behavior.  Teachers have confirmed my impressions:  tough kids smile, disruptive kids focus, shy kids open up."

For more information about Exchange's magazine, books, and other products pertaining to ECE, go to www.ccie.com.

© 2005 Child Care Information Exchange - All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Return to Site