Perreault Magazine - 65 -
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COMPASSION
in education
by Jean Palamar
Ron Hertel
Compassionate Schools: The Heart of Learning and Teaching
A compassionate classroom environment is not an environment that lacks academic rigor. In this environment, students are understood to be complex people. Young people feel that they belong, and they meet challenge and receive encouragement while being asked to be the best versions of themselves. Compassionate classrooms are places where student voices and student ideas are prioritized, and students from stressful and traumatic environments outside school are made to feel safe. Ron Hertel, Program Supervisor of Student Mental Health and Wellbeing/Compassionate Schools in the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in Olympia, WA believes that “ the best thing that schools can offer children is how to have a good life and if we've done that in our schools, then we can rest assured that they will also be better learners. “ The Washington State Compassionate School Initiative was begun in 2008 . As a private consultant, Ron has provided training across the US and Canada including Delaware, Quebec, Oregon, Idaho, Washington DC, Vermont, North Carolina, Virginia and California.
According to Ron Hertel, many kids today come to schools without the necessary tools to navigate life due to disharmony in the home, internal struggles, struggles with substance abuse, etc. They are not ready to learn. They are often in survival mode and when the brain is in survival mode, it is not prepared to absorb the information the school has to offer - survival trumps learning.
The Compassionate Schools curriculum equips teachers with information to provide support to students who are especially susceptible to adversity in their lives, which in turn benefits all students.
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