Partnership Educators,
We live in a time when it is easy to sit back and let things happen. We go to the movies, or stream the latest show and relax. The show does the rest while we sit back and watch. We live in a country that affords us the ability to go to a supermarket with thousands of foods to choose from. Choices are everywhere. We are used to pushing buttons and getting things done.
Lewis Carroll once said, "One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth the doing is what we do for others." We aren't just here to exist. We're here to help and make sure that everyone can experience the world in a dignified, beautiful way. But let's be honest, it can be really hard to do that for people sometimes.
Compassionate empathy means being able to provide useful support to the people in your life. Having the awareness, sensitivity, and concern to connect with others' feelings and emotions is a skill to be nurtured. Today I am honoring just such a person within our Redding Schools Family of Employees who is all of these things and more. Congratulations to Kim Nichols for receiving the Portrait of a Graduate Empathy Award. Your work with the Cypress families and those that you work with is an example to us all.
Here is a quote from one of the families that she serves. "Ms. Kim has always made me feel like the kids are her priority. She has created positive relationships with her students and their families. She will go out of her way to help any family she can and we all know that. With her, I know my children are safe, loved, and taken care of. My children love her and I know she loves them. She is a person that is not there for just a job but to make a difference. She has gone above and beyond doing things she can for her Cypress families."
I encourage us all to think about how to support everyone around us. Five simple words can make a difference, "I'm so grateful for you." Messages of support and honest encouragement become infectious. Research on reciprocity is clear on what happens with human behavior. Cooperation is a critical component of human social behavior. Reciprocity plays a key role in maintaining cooperation in our environments. Empathizing with others and using truly honest and supportive interactions increase the likelihood that those types of behaviors will come back to us through reciprocity.
Words of Encouragement: "You're the light in this room"; "We can do this together"; "I believe in you"; "I know this is hard right now, but it is worth doing. Believe in yourself."; "I am so proud of you and your efforts with (be specific)."; "You should be proud of yourself."; "You're not in this alone."; "I'm here for you and so are many others." "Your strength inspires me."
Empathy is an action.
Have a fantastic weekend,
Rob