![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Education Schmeducation
Apr. 5th, 2009 10:29 amTeaching Empathy in Schools
We seem to have come full circle back to the "everything I needed too know, I learned in kindergarten" era. Share your crayons, people. And how would you feel if I kicked *you* under the table?
Anyway. One of the more interesting questions to ask about this article is "why are we suddenly worried that the kids aren't empathetic enough?" There's a theory (very persuasive, I think) that worrying about "kids today" is a substitute for worrying about their parents. "My kid might not get a job" is a projection of my anxiety that I might lose *my* job; "kids today can't manage money" stems from my worry that adults aren't managing money well.
So are people across the nation worried that adults aren't empathetic enough?
Looks like. See - "They should make the parents come as well,” she said. “I think there’s a sense of elitism, and a bit of arrogance, among the parents here.”
Most of the discussion in this article is about economic empathy. Don't conspicuously display your family's wealth in the form of sweatshirts. Do volunteer at that homeless shelter. To me, it looks like the concern over the recession era is hitting our schools in the form of "empathy programs." But that's just me.
( more on the article )
We seem to have come full circle back to the "everything I needed too know, I learned in kindergarten" era. Share your crayons, people. And how would you feel if I kicked *you* under the table?
Anyway. One of the more interesting questions to ask about this article is "why are we suddenly worried that the kids aren't empathetic enough?" There's a theory (very persuasive, I think) that worrying about "kids today" is a substitute for worrying about their parents. "My kid might not get a job" is a projection of my anxiety that I might lose *my* job; "kids today can't manage money" stems from my worry that adults aren't managing money well.
So are people across the nation worried that adults aren't empathetic enough?
Looks like. See - "They should make the parents come as well,” she said. “I think there’s a sense of elitism, and a bit of arrogance, among the parents here.”
Most of the discussion in this article is about economic empathy. Don't conspicuously display your family's wealth in the form of sweatshirts. Do volunteer at that homeless shelter. To me, it looks like the concern over the recession era is hitting our schools in the form of "empathy programs." But that's just me.
( more on the article )
