Compassion

The other day I was working at school and I was helping in Mrs. M’s classroom. She has 3 students with severe disabilities and all 3 are in wheelchairs. It was an emotional and rewarding experience to work with these children.

After school I was walking to the car with Tara and Lily. They were asking me about my day and I told them I worked in Mrs. M’s class. Lily asked who Mrs. M was and Tara went on to answer that question. But before Tara could answer, I held my breath for a moment thinking I was going to hear an inappropriate explanation or that I was going to have to use this as an opportunity to teach my children about kindness and empathy. Instead; Tara answered Lily’s question by naming each of the 3 students. I was completely stunned and asked Tara how she knew their names. She went on to explain how when she was in the First Grade if students had completed all their assignments they were allowed to go to Mrs. M.’s class and read to the children. She told us how she loved going over there and reading to them. She even told us something cute about each child.

I was rather disappointed in myself for thinking the worse about what Tara might say; but more importantly I was touched by her compassion. I believe compassion is something you learn, not something I can teach. I am so proud of Tara and her willingness to show kindness and to share something with the children. I was also surprised Tara never shared that information with me. No real surprise, all I get is a “good” whenever I ask how school was that day.