The value of empathy

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear… all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

Leo Buscaglia

In education, we rightly place great importance on reading, writing, mathematics, and knowledge. Yet alongside these essential academic foundations sits another quality that is just as important for a child’s future: empathy.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. It is what helps a child comfort a friend who is upset, recognise when someone feels left out, or respond with kindness rather than judgement. In many ways, empathy is the foundation of good character.

Schools are uniquely placed to teach this. Every day, children learn how to live alongside others: how to disagree respectfully, how to apologise sincerely, how to listen, and how to care. These lessons are often quieter than formal lessons, but they may be even more significant.

Research strongly supports the importance of empathy in childhood development. A report from the Education Endowment Foundation highlights that social and emotional learning, which includes empathy, self-awareness, and relationship skills, is associated with improved academic outcomes as well as better long-term wellbeing. Children with stronger emotional understanding are often better able to manage challenges, regulate behaviour, and build healthy relationships.

Empathy can also be taught. Storytelling, literature, role play, discussion, service opportunities, and restorative conversations all help children step into someone else’s perspective. When children read a novel and imagine another life, when they participate in charity work, or when they reflect on how their words affect others, they are learning empathy in action.

Parents are central to this work. Children absorb how adults speak about others - whether with compassion or criticism. They notice how we respond to difference, to hardship, and to those who may inconvenience us. Home is often where empathy begins.

In a fast-moving world where technology can sometimes distance us from real human connection, teaching empathy becomes even more urgent. We do not simply want children who are successful; we want children who are humane.

Our society needs future doctors who listen, leaders who understand, teachers who notice, and citizens who act with compassion. Empathy is not softness - it is strength shaped by understanding. If we want our children to contribute meaningfully to the world, we must first teach them to care deeply about the people in it and we can all play our part in modelling these behaviours.

Inservi Deo et laetare