Inverness pupils say a big thank you to tiny teachers

Primary school pupils from Inverness gathered 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 yesterday  [Tuesday, June 24].  

The event marked the end of the school year for Roots of Empathy – an innovative programme that aims to reduce bullying by bringing a baby and parent into the classroom.  

The pupils thanked baby Gregor by writing wishes for his future, such as “I wish baby Gregor a healthy and happy life” and “I hope he has good friends like me when he goes to school”, and hanging them on a special wish tree.  

Paul Carberry, director of service development at Action for Children Scotland, said: “Action for Children Scotland has delivered Roots of Empathy to 168 schools across Scotland this year, thanks to funding from the Scottish Government’s Early Year Change fund. The overriding aim of the Early Years Framework is to give children the best start in life, and Action for Children Scotland is proud to play a part in delivering this.  

“Of course we couldn’t do it without the support of 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.”  

As part of the Roots of Empathy curriculum, a baby and parent visit the class nine times throughout the school year. An instructor guides pupils in labelling the baby's emotions, raising levels of empathy amongst classmates and resulting in a dramatic reduction in levels of aggression among school children.  

Chairman of The Highland Council’s Adult and Children’s Services Committee, Councillor Alasdair Christie said: “Having this opportunity to work with Action for Children in such a creative and fun way has been a very worthwhile experience.  The project fitted in well with our policy on promoting positive relationships in all of our schools.  I am sure the children who have taken part have benefitted greatly and have enjoyed the chance to develop new skills.  Learning to deal with your emotions and those of other people makes for much better social, emotional and educational understanding.”  

ENDS