Dear Brandeis community,

 

Last night I was home to help put the girls to bed, which in this season of admissions events and travel for conferences is just rare enough an event to be something I know to cherish. Our evening rituals have shifted over the years, as our daughters have moved into and through new phases of childhood. A constant has been books—though their forms too have morphed—from board books to picture books, chapter books read aloud together to novels read silently, side-by-side. This particular moment finds us re-reading Charlotte’s Web to Alma. As a lover of animals, she is rapt—brow furrowed in thoughtful attention, begging for more story as we finish the chapter and turn off the light. Last night we came to a chapter all about Wilbur’s loneliness, as he mopes inside the barn on a rainy day, feeling entirely friendless, right before he meets the titular Charlotte. Alma at one point interrupted me, looking sad and serious, and said she wished she could step into the book, go to the barn, and pick Wilbur up and hug him. She was hurting for that little pig.

 

Alma was, in that moment, experiencing a profound sense of empathy, which interestingly is a 20th century addition to English, built with a Greek root and prefix and modeled on the German Einfühlung, both meaning “in feeling.” The term came from psychology and art theory, and was briefly also referred to as “fellow feeling,” “inner sympathy,” and “sympathetic projection.” The core idea is about being able to put yourself in the emotional shoes of another being, like Alma truly feeling sad because Wilbur was so lonely.

 

As an educator and student of history, I’m curious about the fact that empathy is a 20th century invention, given that our public school system and core liberal arts curriculum—which defines so much of how we think about school—was largely developed in the 19th century. I wonder whether the reason there is so much attention on empathy in educational research right now is because it was never built into the operating system to begin with. I know I have seen articles about the role of empathy in 21st century education circulating lately—including MindShift’s excellent “Why Empathy Holds the Key to Transforming 21st Century Learning.” The author offers seven perspectives on why empathy should be the base of a new learning taxonomy, from its support of collaboration and teaming to emotional well-being to creative work. The last item on his list—that empathy unites—resonates with my sense that empathy is at the core of the work ahead in teaching our students how to best nourish and build our democracy.

 

In truth though, where my mind went while sitting there with Alma wasn’t to the history of public education or to articles on empathy in 21st century education, but rather to a Saul Bellow quote that I shared at Tuesday night’s Board of Trustees meeting:

 

What is art but a way of seeing?

 

Just as E.B. White’s Wilbur is giving Alma a new vantage point into the emotional lives of others, all art has the capacity to open our worlds to new vistas. And so I will end this morning with the standing ovation our middle schoolers received last Thursday night at the end of the middle school performance of The Big Bad Musical. We had a packed house of nearly 175 over at the Jewish Community High School’s theater for the rollicking and funny play, which gave us all a new perspective on several storybook favorites, and most especially our own kids. It left me—and I’m sure many others in the audience—excited for what new things they will invite us to see!

 

Wishing you all weekends full of seeing and feeling, my friends.

 

Warmly,

 

Dan