Gratitude and Compassion at the College

This term our Year 9 Wellbeing classes, under the direction of Mrs Brink, have focussed on gratitude and compassion. Compassion is a genuine sympathy for hardship or suffering that other people are experiencing, and a desire to ease that pain. There are many different ways to show compassion for others; the important thing is that it comes from the heart. Compassion literally means 'to suffer together'. Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you feel motivated to relieve suffering.

While empathy refers more generally to our ability to take the perspective of and feel the emotions of another person, compassion is when those feelings and thoughts include the desire to help. The six Year 9 Wellbeing classes, after discussion, chose who they would like to support or show gratitude to in our local community and they were:

• The Patricia Giles Foundation
• Morning Tea for Paramedics
• Thanking the Police
• Thanking Teachers
• Thanking the College Grounds Staff

It has been wonderful seeing their planning unfold through the Direct Messages on SEQTA and I have enjoyed sharing these well planned events with our Year 9 students.

Having taught in the Science Learning Area, I am always interested in what compassion does for the student. Scientists have started to map the biological basis of compassion, suggesting its deep evolutionary purpose. This research has shown that when we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, we secrete the 'bonding hormone' oxytocin, and regions of the brain linked to empathy, caregiving and feelings of pleasure light up, which often results in our wanting to approach and care for other people.

Our Year 10 and 11 students cultivate compassion by completing 10 hours of Service each year. Volunteering connects you to others, giving you the opportunity to make new friends and increase your social skills. A number of our students are already involved in serving others e.g. by helping younger students with their reading or through their local sports clubs and coaching younger members. Students are reminded to have their Service hours signed off.

The best way to learn how to be compassionate toward others is to be compassionate with yourself. Praise yourself for your successes (even things as little as making your bed in the morning) and forgive yourself for your mistakes. Focus on your strengths and positive qualities.

There are many ways to care for ourselves, from taking quiet time for reflection and eating well, to taking care of our bodies and forgiving ourselves and others for long-held grudges or hurts. This kind of self-compassion opens the door to discovering our own inner strength and compassion for others too. Forgiving ourselves for our mistakes can truly offer a sense of relief and healing.

Helen Del Frate 

Dean of Students