A Letter From our Director, David Levine:

Earlier this month as I read United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s article in The Guardian about what he called an “epidemic of loneliness,” I was reminded of my post-lockdown return to the classroom in April 2021. It had been thirteen months since I’d been in a classroom, and it wasn’t long before I noticed how things had changed.

It wasn’t so much the masks, social distancing, cubicles at desks, or hand sanitizer in the hallway; instead it was the kids themselves. As I started teaching my first class, I couldn’t keep them focused. In the past, my lessons would engage, my style would invite, and their stories would motivate. But here I was, doing what I’d always done but getting a different result. In one class, while in the middle of a conversation on “making connections,”a boy raised his hand and called out, “It’s important to hydrate!” Another asked if I had any children and another if I had any pets… “They were isolated for so long,” their teacher said, “…all they want to do is interact about anything that comes into their minds." Of course! I thought, suddenly getting it. They were craving human contact, not formalized classroom instruction.

Out of those early experiences returning to the classroom, I was inspired to create a micro-course for educators entitled Teach Here Now, which was released in the spring of 2021. The purpose of the course was to provide a perspective on creating the conditions of belonging, connection and discovery.

I would like to share with you a sample lesson, Asking Questions along with its companion student integration, Listening as a Cultural Norm from Teach Here Now. The course is now available for free on our online learning platform. Sign up to view the entire course and our other professional development offerings for educators! Thanks for being a part of the TEI learning community, and happy Spring!

David Levine, Director

Teaching Empathy Institute

"You can feel lonely even if you have a lot of people around you, because loneliness is about the quality of your connections... Fostering social connection requires that we each commit to our relationships and communities. Our actions today can create sustainable changes to society and bring better health to all."

Vivek Murthy,

U.S. Surgeon General

The pandemic did not suddenly create the need to focus on how important it is to create the conditions for the social and emotional well-being of each other and our students, but instead, amplified how important it is to do so.

Over the past year, in partnership with Lesley University’s Center for Inclusive and Special Education, we created a series of professional training courses for educators: Creating Schools of Belonging. The intention of these courses is how to create the conditions of social and emotional well-being for students, teachers, leaders, mental health professionals and other staff members.

Learn More & Enroll

Stay tuned for more news on our soon-to-be released Pre-K - 12 curriculum, “Making Connections,” which uses music, dialogue, and storytelling to create classrooms of belonging.

Teaching Empathy Institute

is a non-profit educational organization that creates comprehensive and enduring social culture-building processes that meet the emotional needs of staff and students. Our award winning resources and programs focus on creating a culture of emotional safety in which healthy relationships are key.

Learn more about Teaching Empathy Institute

& our programs at www.teachingempathyinstitute.org