Definition:

The ability to feel what others are feeling and the action of trying to help them with their troubles. 

In short: 

Feel what others feel.

Summary:

What do you think most people are like? The message of this book is that most people want to help others. Most people don’t hurt others or want to be bad. Furthermore, people who do bad things can change because there’s a seed of goodness inside of each of us.

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Sometimes the world can seem like a scary place; students will be encouraged to trust that most people want to help and do good things for others.  

Guiding Questions: 

1. Do you think most people love to smile, laugh, and do good things? 
2. Do you think most people want to help when someone is in trouble? Have you ever seen someone help another person, someone they don’t even know? What happened? 
3. Some people do bad things. Have you seen or heard someone doing something bad? What happened? 
4. Do you think there’s a “seed of goodness” in everyone? Even when someone does something bad, are they able to change by apologizing and making things right again?
5. Do you think everyone wants to be good or are there some people who want to be bad? 
6. Do you want to be kind and do good things for others? Why? 
7. When you do something you know is wrong, how do you feel? 
8. Do you think that most of the time, you’d rather do what your parents and teachers ask you to do? How about the others in your family and your class? Do they want to do what’s right? 
9. Ask a parent or grandparent  if they think that most people are good and want to help others. Ask them to give you an example of something they saw that makes them think the way they do. 
10. Spend the day being a detective and count the times you see people doing good things!