Teaching Compassion in the Classroom

In the school where I work, we have no honor's class or the so-called "star section". We group students heterogeneously. The performing and the underperforming, together in one class. Some people may view it as  a formula for disaster. That's what I also thought. Never did I know that this set-up would teach me something very essential-something I wish I learned early in life.


In our school, we have what we call the mentor and mentee program where the underperforming students, who are called the mentees, are paired up with the performing students or the mentors. One day, while I was checking my students' grade for the second term one of the top performing students approached me. Of course, I expected that he will ask me about his grade. In my expericne, that's how most of the top students were-consistently concerned of their performance. However, his question surprised me.

"Mr., kumusta na po yung performance ng mentee ko?" I was surprised. I looked at his mentee and I did see a quizzical look on the mentee's face. I checked my records and I told the mentor that there was a significant improvement in the performance of his mentee.

The mentor smiled. I will never forget that smile. It was a smile of pride-of pure joy. The mentor ran up to his mentee and delivered the news. He gave his mentee a tap on the back and he said "Sabi ko sa'yo kaya mo eh!"

That day, my kids taught me something about compassion. I realized that more than being excellent, more than being competent and more than being the best, we should teach our kids the value of compassion. If every student, early in his life, will learn what it means to lookout for the welfare of his classmates; If every kid will learn to reach out; If we all learn to give more focus not on the gifted child but on the giving child. I think this world will be a better place.