Parent-Teacher Training

360° of Empathy

With children, nothing can be taught in isolation. If we teach them lessons on empathy and kindness in their after-school programs, or on the weekend in an anti-bullying workshop, those lessons have to be reinforced at home and in their classrooms. Without day-to-day instructions on how to be empathetic and look at things from another point of view, it is all too easy to forget the lessons we learn in art class.

As such, Children Mending Hearts offers trainings for parents and teachers, so that we can give children 360° of empathetic education, ensuring that the lessons we teach take root. When parents, teachers, and CMH volunteers are all passing along the same information, children truly hear and believe what they are hearing. With constant practice at being kind, they have no choice but to grow into well-rounded, thoughtful, empathetic adults.

These trainings can cover a variety of topics, from how to be more inclusive with regards to race, gender, religion, and sexuality to key phrases every child should know how to use. We encourage parents and teachers to take advantage of every "teachable moment" that arises in day-to-day life and show them the best way to do that. If children are not only taught the lessons in the classroom, the art room, the workshop, and at home, but also on the street, in the grocery store, at the post office, or on the bus, then those lessons and behaviors will become ingrained within them as not only the right way to behave, but the only way.

Besides, everyone could use a refresher in how to be more empathetic. And if there's one thing the world needs, it's more empathy.