At WSMS, we:

• focus on cooperative learning. Children help one another to understand concepts and solve problems. In comparison with conventional schooling, where students are often in direct competition with one another, our approach enables children to want to aid each other, through which they learn empathy.
• talk about feelings, and ask children questions that get them thinking about how others feel. Children become more aware of the feelings of others as they act, and empathy grows.
• believe that children who make a positive difference in their world through service projects gain a sense of self-worth and responsibility, and that even very young children can initiate these projects. Case in point: recently a WSMS child came to one of his teachers with a desire to help provide warm winter clothing to those who needed it, and this resulted in a very successful coat drive at the school.

WSMS teachers:

• display sensitivity and warmth toward children, creating an environment of security, and encouraging children to act similarly towards their peers
• take the time to listen to their students express their feelings, whether they be joyful, sad, or anything in between, and help them talk through these feelings. When children better understand their own emotions, they can better understand the emotions of others.
• show children that their decisions are important, and that through them, they can have  a positive impact on the people around them, and the wider world

WSMS teachers model respect and empathy in the classroom, making it a safe environment to express emotion and take risks. And the children pick up on this quickly. Here is a real-life example of how our young students demonstrate empathy to one another:
At lunchtime one day, a child was crying uncontrollably and sucking her thumb (a self-soothing technique she often used). Her teachers tried talking to her to find out what was upsetting her, acknowledging that she was very upset, and asking what they could do to help her—but nothing worked. They finally managed to coax her to get in line to get her food for lunch, hoping that this would serve as a distraction, but she kept on crying. But as she stood in line, one of the children near her turned to her and hugged her wordlessly. Immediately the thumb came out of her mouth, and she hugged him back. And within a few seconds of the embrace she calmed down, stopped crying, turned around, and served herself lunch.


“After our youngest son grabbed one of his sister’s drawings off the play table, his older brother, a WSMS student, said, ‘you can't just take that.’ When asked why, he answered ‘Because of respect!’ He then explained to his brother his definition of respect, and about how important it is to understand other people’s needs and feelings. Our son has learned much about respecting himself and others at WSMS, and I appreciate that he is trying to pass this concept on to his younger siblings.” —WSMS Parent

“Children demonstrate empathy every day at WSMS. It can be as simple as one child bringing a glass of water to a friend who is upset, or a child acting as a successful mediator for two other children who are having a disagreement. I make it a point to model empathy for my students, but I am always awed at how easily it becomes a part of their everyday behavior.”
—WSMS Associate Teacher since 2002