C O M P A S S I O N & E M P A T H Y

The power of Empathy and respect

discussing the power of alternative education settings in Ireland

Throughout my BA I knew I wanted to go down the education route so after graduating I decided to volunteer for the year in The Cork Life Centre as a one on one art teacher. This decision not only molded my view on learning but on life. It is hands down the single most important indisputable life changing decision I have ever made.  

The cork life center is a voluntary organization that offers early school leavers an alternative learning environment that centers around holistic education and positive trusting relationships between student and teacher. They favour to work together, to empower, to create opportunities and to allow students to reach their full potential.

Before entering the Cork life center I viewed education and learning as very black and white, I was not aware of idea of the hidden curriculum or that school could be supportive.

Getting to view education in a different light reaffirmed my love of learning. A new light was shed on my thoughts on learning and that light was empathy. Every day in the life Centre the staff and students would sit down together at the same table for a meal, there is no sense of hierarchy just mutual respect and understanding.

In my time here I got to understand the Greek term Praxis, meaning “action”. I always thought this idea of jumping into action or applying your thoughts and feelings into action described the learning and teaching that was happening in the life Centre. We got to question why we were learning, why we question why we learn? and why knowledge is important to better ground ourselves in our understanding of our sense of self.

A-lot of people I discussed the life Centre with assumed a majority of the students were from low socio economic settings or that the vast majority of the students had behavioral issues, this was not the case. the demographic of the students varied greatly between economical settings and high and low behavioral issues it was merely down to the fact that they got lost in the large class group that they were once in.

Whether it be down to mental health issues due to environment, behavioral issues due to environment or wanting to enter a holistic learning environment that differed from their last. All of it was down to varying environments, so this to me teaches us that the environment that you spend your formative years in affects you greatly. so why not change this, make schools a friendlier place. speak to the students with respect and you will receive mutual respect back in abundance. I want to embrace our “Non traditional learners” and create sanctuary for them, let them experience learning and find their passions. I often question why we don't have more alternative education outlets, we all embrace the idea of inclusivity and difference. But why are so many of our young learners struggling? they are struggling because you cannot fit a square peg in a round hole. traditional education settings do not, and will not continue to work for everyone. we are not as a country giving our learners enough diversity in school settings.

The life Centre runs off the idea that one size does not fit all, if you are struggling in something you will strive at something else. This is where I first learnt about multiple intelligences, seeing this nurturing of multiple intelligences really was a breath of fresh air for me.

 

I learnt that the Irish education system is failing our young learners, it is simply not inclusive enough. 10% of students in Ireland become early school leavers due to a varying list of reasons. I learnt that the Irish schooling system was the oppressor for these young learners. It did not give them the chance to be included because of a varying list of factors. I am fully aware that it is extremely easy for a learner to exclude themselves or drift away from the crowd. But why do we let these learners leave without anywhere to go? why isn't there more solutions to this. a big obvious answer to this question is money and environment. If the minority of students are being brought through the same education system and it works for them, the students that fall behind or don't have a voice in that class are left behind. Why do we favour the norm?

One in six young people still leave school without reaching Leaving Certificate level and their likelihood of doing so is strongly influenced by their social background. International research has indicated that early childhood education and measures to boost academic achievement are key factors in retaining young people with full time education. (Smyth and Mc Coy ESRI 2009)

Once a school can’t handle the differences of difficulties of that young learner they are unfortunately just left outside in the cold, they are given up on. I don’t like to think about the impact that, that has the confidence and hope for a young learner. I truly believe The life center is the solution to the problem the education system is having at this moment in time. It’s there I learnt how to take a humanistic approach to teaching.

“Teaching and learning should bring joy. How powerful would our world be if we had kids who were not afraid to take risks, who were not afraid to think, and who had a champion? Every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection, and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” (Pierson, R. 2013)

It is here I learnt about the importance of working in groups to strengthen learning and interpersonal relationships also, the students experienced a socially positive environment. It is here I learnt my position in a young learner’s life, I have the chance to be their MKO or their “one good adult”.

I would like to think that this holistic approach to education is far superior to a student’s general state. These young learners are situated in the schooling system in their formative years and being introduced to the purely summative style of some post primary could be very detrimental to them.

a great resource i have found in this topic of "one good adult" is the national centre for youth mental health "Jigsaw" i find myself constantly revisiting their website for guidance which i feel is very powerful.

- Nollaig Lynch

https://vimeo.com/107815470 link to a great video piece on "One Good Teacher"