Compassion in our Schools
Compassion is visible every day in schools around Australia – students with students, staff with students, and staff with each other. “The core relational theme for compassion…is being moved by another’s suffering and wanting to help” (Lazarus, 1991, p. 289).
In the workplace literature, Worline and Dutton (2017) share evidence to support six key areas in which compassion supports organisations – capacity to innovate, to collaborate, to provide great service, to adapt to change, to support engagement and to retain staff. Receiving social support and being part of a social network also have strong evidence to support physical, psychological and emotional benefits.
However, in schools, we need to be mindful that we can overplay compassion, and the work of caring can lead to compassion fatigue for some. How can we find a balance, and strengthen compassion in our schools as workplaces in sustainable ways?
Compassion is often viewed as having four elements:
- Noticing the suffering of another
- Making meaning of the suffering that contributes to a desire to alleviate it
- Feeling empathic concern for the other
- Taking action to alleviate the suffering in some manner (Worline & Dutton, 2017).
There is so much to discuss here, which I’ll unpack in future articles, but two places to start are working on understanding boundaries between ourselves and others, especially those receiving our workplace services (students, families in particular) and supporting staff to name, enact, reflect and discuss their boundaries.
Another is to reflect on the positive emotions that we might experience when we’re helping another, often referred to in sum as ‘compassion satisfaction’. Taking the time to reflect and appreciate what we have achieved, rather than only looking at what’s next, enables us to experience a sense of satisfaction that is a proven protective factor.
Melinda Phillips, Director/Principal Psychologist at Compassionate Schools.School, team and individual services available to Australian schools and teachers; please feel free to contact us.
References:
Lazarus, R. S. (1991). Emotion and adaptation. Oxford University Press.
Worline, M., & Dutton, J. E. (2017). Awakening compassion at work: The quiet power that elevates people and organizations. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
