Tiny Teachers in the Highlands celebrate the end of the school year
Primary three pupils from Merkinch Primary School, in Inverness, gathered on Thursday, 20 June to say a big ‘thank you’ to the area’s tiniest teachers at a Baby Celebration held by Action for Children Scotland and Highland Council.
The event marked the end of the school year for Roots of Empathy¬, an innovative programme that encourages children to interact in a nurturing manner by bringing a baby – known as a ‘Tiny Teacher’ - and parent into the classroom over the course of the school year. The programme was introduced to Merkinch, Central, Fort William Roman Catholic, Kinlochleven, Kilchuimen, Inverlochy, Bridgend, Obsdale and Coulhill primary schools in the Highlands by leading charity, Action for Children Scotland.
Pupils from Merkinch Primary School thanked their Tiny Teacher, Lucy, by writing wishes for her future and hanging them on a special wish tree. Wishes for baby Lucy included “My wish for Lucy is be safe and be responsible. Be kind Lucy don’t be a bully and try not to get bullied. Be good for your mum and dad”; “My wish for Lucy is for her to be confident and healthy and kind”; “My wish for Lucy is that when she is older she will behave herself at school. I hope she will come and join Merkinch Primary school” and “My wish for Lucy is to be safe and be a super star.”
Paul Carberry, Director of Service Development at Action for Children Scotland, said: “Today’s celebration gives pupils and teachers the perfect opportunity to say goodbye to Lucy and thank her for her hard work this year. Visits by the baby and parent are at the heart of Roots of Empathy, helping schoolchildren to better understand their own feelings and the feelings of others – and I’m sure the pupils from Merkinch Primary School have all learned a lot from Lucy.
“Roots of Empathy is an incredibly successful programme that has made a real difference in Scottish classrooms since its launch in 2010. But we just couldn’t do it without our Tiny Teachers - and their parents. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the babies, mums and dads involved for making Roots of Empathy such a huge success.”
Heather Hayes, mother of Lucy, added: “It is really touching to see the hopes and wishes pupils from Merkinch Primary School have for Lucy’s future. We have both loved the experience – Lucy enjoyed being star of the show and I was pleased to have the opportunity to celebrate all of her little milestones with the class. It has been a very rewarding experience that I would strongly recommend to any new mums!”
Separate Baby Celebrations will be held at Central, Fort William Roman Catholic, Kinlochleven, Kilchuimen, Inverlochy, Bridgend, Obsdale and Coulhill primary schools to thank Tiny Teachers Riley-Mae, Archie, Finlay, Oliver, Amelia, Riley and Liam.
Councillor Alasdair Christie, Chairman of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee, said: "Pupils from nine of our primary schools take part in Roots of Empathy. We are very pleased to work with Action for Children Scotland to deliver this innovative programme, which teaches children emotional development by bringing a baby into the classroom. Research shows that children who have taken part in Roots of Empathy are less likely to be aggressive to their peers and more likely to help, share and cooperate."
As part of the Roots of Empathy curriculum, a baby and parent visit the class nine times throughout the school year. A trained Roots of Empathy instructor guides pupils in labeling the baby's emotions, raising levels of empathy amongst classmates and resulting in a dramatic reduction in levels of aggression among school children. Recent independent research into the programme found that 55.5% of pupils displayed an increase in prosocial behavior (voluntary behavior intended to benefit others, such as helping, sharing, co-operating, and volunteering). This is 33.4% more than in pupils in a control group, who did not receive Roots of Empathy..
Earlier this year, Scottish Government announced funding of £1.2 million to take the internationally-acclaimed programme into classrooms in every council area across the country.
Roots of Empathy was developed by internationally-recognised social entrepreneur, educator, author, child advocate and parenting expert, Mary Gordon, in 1996. Over 450,000 children have taken part in the programme worldwide. The programme was piloted in North Lanarkshire by Action for Children Scotland in 2010 - the first time it was delivered anywhere in Britain.