“Empathy” a new subject in school? What are your thoughts?

Empathy a new subject in school? What are your thoughts?Teachers have a high level of responsibility. »The increasing heterogeneous class room means that they have to adapt even more to the different learning requirements of the students. Choosing the »right Method, the best way of teaching, places high demands on the professionalism of each teachers. The establishment of a clear structure is the basic prerequisite for finding a unique teaching method. Therefore the question of whether it is possible to join a new class, a new learning community and integrate rules in the first few weeks to provide a base for a healthy learning community, will that be enough?

The pedagogical challenge is to address gaps, values parents don´t teach children today or considering the usage of new media, values kids don’t know how to implement due to a lack of interaction with others. Teachers who teach in the first weeks of grade one provide a trusting and empathetic support for the children. Possible fears of children like fear of school, fear of failure, fear of being laughed at by others or to be belittled from failure and lack of recognition or crises encounter the teachers with clear structures, an atmosphere of appreciation and appropriate performance standards (see Baacke, 1995).

What are we doing with older kids. It has been noticed that practising empathy needs more attention. Due to the usage of media devices/digital devices and less localised social interactions with others, young people show less empathy than generations before them. It has been said that schools need to introduce a new subject called: “Empathy” 

What are your thoughts? Which effect has a lack of social interactions with others?