strategies for teachers: encouraging empathy and reducing judgment in students
We’ve all heard students say judgmental things out loud, like:
- “What is that person wearing?”
- “Why does that person dress so weird?”
- “Why does that person make funny noises?”
Sometimes these comments come from normal childhood curiosity. Other times, they can be hurtful. Teaching students to notice judgmental thoughts and turn them into curiosity or empathy can feel tricky, but it’s possible!
how can I explain judgment to my students?
Here are ways to talk about judgment in the classroom:
- Sometimes we judge people based on how they look, talk, dress, etc. This happens to everyone.
- Having a judgmental thought doesn’t make someone a bad person, it’s what we do with the thought that matters.
- We should always treat people with kindness and understanding and take time to get to know someone better.
what are some strategies to help students be more accepting of others?
Here are some strategies you can teach your students to be more accepting and less judgmental. You can write the strategy on the board and describe each one.
- Pop the bubble
- Imagine your thoughts are in a little speech bubble, like in a cartoon. Ask: Is this thought true, helpful or kind? If yes, go ahead and let it out. If not… POP IT! Let the unkind thought disappear.
- Be curious
- Instead of judging, encourage students to wonder: “I wonder why…” or “What might be going on in this person’s life?” Curiosity helps replace snap judgments with understanding.
- Walk in someone’s shoes
- Ask students to think: “How would I feel if I were this person?” or “What would I want someone to say to me?” This builds empathy and perspective-taking.
- Someone’s behavior is not the whole person
- Shift thinking from “That kid is bad” to “That kid made a poor choice.” One action doesn’t define a person.
- Act with kindness, even when it’s hard
- Encourage students to show kindness, even to people who seem different or make mistakes. They can get to know the other person better or simply offer a small act of understanding.
conversation starters about uniqueness for the classroom
Here are some conversation starters you can use to get the conversation going about judgment.
- What do you think the phrase, “you can’t judge a book by its cover” means?
- How can we show kindness to someone we might not understand?
- What are ways that we can disagree with someone while still showing kindness and understanding?
Using these strategies and questions in the classroom helps students notice judgmental thoughts, pause and choose empathy and kindness, skills that will help them in school, with friends and beyond.
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