Creating a classroom environment that encourages compassion
can be formed through lessons on natural disasters. Students not only benefit
from learning how our world works, but they also have the opportunity to
understand the effects of such events. How do teachers promote compassion?
Compassion comes through experience; knowing how an event feels, and all of the
physical and emotional strains that come with a challenging situation. If we
want our students to understand what a natural disaster encompasses, we must
help them experience that event at an appropriate level. When it comes to
natural disasters, helping students understand the magnitude of the occurrence
can be accomplished through videos, interactive programs, hands-on labs,
stories of personal experiences, and outlets for helping others.
Activities that give students a choice will empower them to
learn at a deeper level. Requiring students to research videos and animations
of a natural disaster they choose will lend to an interest in the subject.
Further research could be done to answer questions about their chosen topic.
During students’ journeys through the assignment, they should be prompted to
think about the multiple affects of the disaster. Students usually understand
there is damage to property, but what about the human and animal lives lost?
Students may not think about basic amenities that people are left without, or
the impact a disaster has on the environment. What about the natural and
manufactured resources the location provided? In a world that is so connected,
many natural disasters affect other countries, our nation, and our personal
lives. Once students have located answers to these questions, an extension
activity would be to find an organization that helps and supports relief of
their chosen natural disaster. This final activity will connect a sense of
empathy to the information they researched.
It is easy to connect with organizations that help those in
need, which is greatly beneficial for giving. I believe that when much is given
to a person, much is expected from them; if I have been fortunate enough to
have financial and material excess, I should give to those who have less. This
is a personal thought, but a statement like this could open up great
conversations in the classroom. Conversations become a catalyst for change.
When students begin to talk about making a difference, they influence their
peers in a positive way. As a middle school teacher, I work with students who
are old enough to understand much of what is going on in the world. Students of
this age are capable of accomplishing many great things with some support from
an adult. One disaster-relief organization that is easy for students to connect
with is Soles4Souls. This organization takes donations of new and used shoes
for those in need. Most students have an old pair of shoes available to donate,
and could easily encourage others to do the same. Through the Soles4Souls web site, students
can learn how their giving helps people who have experienced natural disasters.
Without shoes, people living in an area struck by a disaster risk their heath.
Helping students understand this could also be linked to a conversation about
the human body. Through compassion, many lessons can be learned about natural
disasters and caring for others.
Reference: Soles4Souls. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.soles4souls.org/
