Introduction “At a time when bullying is rampant, it makes more sense to build on the positive by instilling compassion and dealing with kids’ questions about the unfamiliar, rather than simply outlawing behaviours,” author Tim Huff. Tim Huff is the creator of a storybook and discussion guide, titled The Cardboard Shack Under the Bridge, that focuses on teaching elementary school students compassion for people who are homeless. The focus of the material is to encourage children to understand the people and stories behind homelessness in a hope to instil compassion, rather than judgement or fear. Furthermore, the hope of the program is that it encourages children to care deeply for their communities. We created an hour and a half interactive lesson for a Grade 1/2 class at Briar Hill Elementary School with the hope that it would give the children a new perspective on people who do not have homes to live in. The lesson started with us reading the story, The Cardboard Shack Under The Bridge, by Tim Huff, and asking the students many meaningful questions on their interpretations of the pictures and what it means to be homeless. They then rotated around four centres where they got to engage in activities that helped them develop empathy for people who are homeless.

Rationale: A classroom that is built around democratic principles will look very different than the average classroom. Often teachers will take on more of the role of dictator than democratic leader which leads to the production of fact wizards as opposed to critical thinkers. In Alison Rheingold’s article titled, Unalienated Recognition as Feature of Democratic Schooling (2012), she says that to teach with democratic principles, “it is necessary to find ways to engage children in practices that foster, rather than diminish, critical thinking and interactions across communities” (p. 2). One goal of our BOP project was to connect elementary school students to the homeless community through empathy and empowerment. For democracy in classrooms to work successfully, students must be exposed to what is happening in their communities and then motivated to create change within it. This is exactly what our BOP project aimed to do. Through a story, interactive centers, and thoughtful discussions, the students participating in our BOP were invited to care for and understand people drastically different from themselves. An important aspect of democracy is that all citizens are not only treated equally, but they are actively engaged in making their community a better place (Nolan Prezi). Our interactive lesson on homelessness, exposed the inequality of how humans are treated as well as encouraged student participation in recognizing the humanity in people living on the streets. By exposing kids to the humanity of people labelled as outcasts by greater society, compassion is instilled in them, along with empowerment to make a change.

Literature Review:

"Through education, we must include the teaching of compassion and warm-heartedness. When you give more happiness to others, you get maximum happiness. That is what we can teach people."
~Dalai Lama, 2014
What is compassion?
Is compassion the feeling you get in your heart when you see someone struggling? Or the action taken to help someone in need? Compassion is defined and experienced a variety of different ways. A common misconception is that compassion and empathy are the same thing. Empathy, as defined by researchers, is the “visceral or emotional experience of another person’s feelings. It is, in a sense, an automatic mirroring of another’s emotion” (Seppala, 2013). However, altruism is an action that benefits someone else. Although these terms are related to compassion, they are not identical. Compassion is defined as the emotional response when perceiving suffering which involves an authentic desire to help. It is a natural tendency because it is essential for human survival and often involves an empathic response and an altruistic behavior.

Is compassion natural or learned?
Compassion is a natural and automatic response, for most people. Research shows that even rats are driven to empathize with another suffering rat will go out of their way to help out their fellow rat. Michael Tomasello and other scientists at the Max Planck Institute, in Germany, have found that both infants and chimpanzees engage in compassionate behaviour by helping each other overcome obstacles. They apparently do so using intrinsic motivation without expecting any reward. A recent study they ran indicated that infants’ pupil diameters (a measure of attention) decrease both when they help and when they see someone else helping, suggesting that they are not simply helping because helping feels rewarding. It appears to be the relief of suffering that brings reward (Warneken & Tomasello, 2006).
Recent research by David Rand at Harvard University shows that adults’ and children’s first impulse is to help others. Research by American Physical Society Fellow Dale Miller at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business suggests that this is also the case of adults, however, worrying that others will think they are acting out of self-interest can stop them from this impulse to help (Miller, 1999). Children notice adults´ actions and so it is important for teachers to model and teach happiness, empathy, altruism and compassion. To develop a community of compassion and empathy, adults must start modeling kindness, compassion, and acceptance. Parents need to support empathy by practicing it in daily living. As a child copies and demonstrates this type of awareness the parent can reinforce and amplify it.
Why teach compassion in school?

1) It is good for children’s health
Compassion brings big benefits for both, physical and mental health. Research by APS James Diener Fellow Martin Seligman, a pioneer of the psychology of happiness and human flourishing, suggests that connecting with others in a meaningful way helps us enjoy better mental and physical health and helps people recover from disease (Diener & Seligman, 2004). The act of giving is often more pleasurable than receiving. Giving to others with your time and care increases positive well-being above and beyond the experience of spending money on others. A study by Lara Aknin and colleagues at the University of British Columbia shows that even children giving treats to others increases the givers’ happiness more than receiving treats themselves. The human response of becoming happier while giving rather than receiving is true around the world, transcending all cultural and socioeconomic differences (Dunn & Aknin, 2008).
A study by Steve Cole at the University of California and APS Fellow Barbara Fredrickson at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hil, evaluated the levels of cellular inflammation in people who describe themselves as “very happy.” Inflammation is at the root of cancer and other diseases and is generally high in people who live under a lot of stress. It might be expected that inflammation would be lower for people with higher levels of happiness. They found that this was only the case for certain “very happy” people. They found that people who were happy because they lived the “good life” (known as “hedonic happiness”) had high inflammation levels but that, on the other hand, people who were happy because they lived a life of purpose or meaning had low inflammation levels. A life of meaning and purpose is one focused less on satisfying oneself and more on others. It is a life rich in compassion, altruism, and greater meaning. (Seppala, 2013)
Depression and anxiety are linked to a state of self-focus, a preoccupation with “me, myself, and I.” When you do something for someone else, instead of being inward focused you start focusing more on others. When a person has the ability and skill to focus on others more than themselves, they will experience a greater sense of connection with others. People who feel more connected to others have lower rates of anxiety and depression. Moreover, studies show that they also have higher self-esteem, are more empathic to others, more trusting and cooperative and, as a consequence, others are more open to trusting and cooperating with them. Social connectedness therefore generates a positive feedback loop of social, emotional, and physical well-being. Unfortunately, low social connection has been associated with declines in physical and psychological health, as well as a higher propensity for antisocial behavior that leads to further isolation (Seppala, 3013). Adopting a compassionate lifestyle or cultivating compassion in the classroom may help increase the social connection between students and improve both their physical and psychological health which will result in more motivated and engaged learners and carers.

Compassion prevents bullying
“Empathy is a quiet, powerful work; it is the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another person's feelings, or in simple colloquialism “walking in someone else's shoes.” It is about connecting. It is the ANTODITE to BULLYING”
~Diane Murrell, 2012

Wendy Craig, a professor who studies the psychology of bullying, says she thinks the key to preventing bullying is to teach children empathy skills, and about how to speak up when they see wrong behaviour. She says that children need to be taught about empathy and compassion, by getting them to do acts of kindness and participate in pro social behaviour. They also need to learn how to step in when they witness unkind behaviour. “What we know is that defending in cyberspace is related to a skill like empathy, perspective-taking and a sense of self-efficacy, a sense that I can make a difference in the world and do something good. So those are the skills that we need to be promoting. We must change from re-acting against bullying, to pro-acting for empathy. We change our culture by how we interact relationally with others, not by sloganizing. Community ethos is created by the practice of individuals affecting individuals until a tipping point is reached and the practice of the majority becomes the new culture. It becomes our community etho” (Craig, 2013).
There are several organizations that focus on the positive impacts teaching compassion has on kids in the classroom. Roots of Empathy is an organization that works in Calgary and around the world instilling compassion in a unique way. They bring in a newborn child and into the classroom every couple weeks for the students get to know and care for. This simple idea of having an infant in the classroom is “an evidence-based classroom program that has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children while raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy” (Roots of Empathy website). According to the founders of Roots of Empathy, by creating curriculum and lesson plans that seek to reduce levels of aggression and increase empathy and compassion, the prevalence of bullying in schools will reduce.
The Charter for Compassion is another organization that seeks to educate young people how to be compassionate toward others. Karen Armstrong won the TED prize in 2008 for creating this multi-faith organization and she urges teachers, parents, and caregivers around the world to teach compassion as a mechanism for survival, she says, “Compassion is not an option — it’s key to our survival” (Armstrong, 2008). If compassion is a key to survival than teachers around the world should be trained on how to properly educate students to act compassionately. Our lesson on homelessness is a first step toward this reality.

Organizations and research centers around the world that teach compassion.
Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) - Stanford University, CA
"The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) is striving to create a community of scholars and researchers, including neuroscientists, psychologists, educators and philosophical and contemplative thinkers around the study of compassion.”
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Charter for Compassion
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The Charter of Compassion is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more importantly, compassionate action to the center of religious, moral and political life.
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Dalai Lama Center - Vancouver, BC, Canada
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The Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education educates the heart and fosters compassion through creative learning, facilitating and applying research, and connecting people and ideas.
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Street Level - Compassion Series
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“Street Level is a movement of compassionate doers – driven to action by their belief that poverty and homelessness can and must be solved. It is made up of dedicated leaders who, …are working cooperatively to address the systemic, sociological, economic, cultural and spiritual deficits that contribute to poverty and homelessness across the country.”
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Roots of Empathy
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“Roots of Empathy is an evidence-based classroom program that has shown significant effect in reducing levels of aggression among school children while raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy.”
Bibliography
* Warneken, F. & Tomasello, M. (2006). Altruistic helping in human infants and young chimpanzees. http://www.sciencemag.org/content/311/5765/1301.abstract * Miller, D. T. (1999). The norm of self-interest. American Physical Society. http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/millerd/docs/1999amerpsyc.html * Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of well-being. http://internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~ediener/Documents/Diener-Seligman_2004.pdf * Dunn, E. W., Aknin, L. B., & Norton, M. I. (2008). Spending money on others promotes happiness. http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/images/application_uploads/norton-spendingmoney.pdf * Seppala, E. (2013, May). The compassionate mind. Observer, 26(5), Retrieved from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2013/may * Clifton, P. (2014). Compassion aids well-being. Informally published manuscript, Standfor Research, Standfor University, California, Retrieved from http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/february/dalai-lama-ccare-022514.html * Craig, W. (2013, April 12). Key to preventing bullying lies in teaching empathy: expert read more. CTV News. Retrieved from http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/key-to-preventing-bullying-lies-in-teaching-empathy-expert-1.1234953 * Center for building a culture of empathy. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://cultureofempathy.com/References/Organizations/index.htm * Murrel, D. (2012, October 12). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-murrell/bullying-prevention-month_b_1962004.html * Miller, Kristin. (2012, August 28). Teaching Compassion: Changing the world through Empathy and Education. Retrieved from: http://www.parentmap.com/article/compassion-changing-the-world-through-empathy-and-education