Chapter 1

<p>At its core, SEE Learning® is about students learning how best to take care of themselves and each other, specifically with regard to what can be termed their emotional and social health. Therefore, all of SEE Learning can be seen as rooted in compassion: compassion for oneself (self-compassion) and compassion for others. It is not enough, however, to tell students to be compassionate to others and to themselves; what is necessary is showing a range of methods and providing a set of tools. As students come to understand the value of these tools and methods, they will begin to employ them for themselves. At that point, they become their own and each others’ teachers.</p><p>For this reason, Chapter 1, “Creating a Compassionate Classroom,” introduces the foundational concepts of kindness and compassion. “Kindness” is the term employed for younger students, whereas “compassion” is employed for older students. Although there may be subtle differences between these terms, for the purpose of SEE Learning, the important thing is to introduce these concepts and explore them with your students so that they eventually develop their own rich understanding of the concepts and what they look like in practice. All the subsequent chapters of SEE Learning then build upon this foundation by exploring self-compassion in the personal domain with regard to the body, the mind, and emotions (chapters 2 to 4); compassion for others (chapters 5 and 6); and compassion in a systemic context (chapter 7). In some ways, therefore, this first chapter begins to introduce the “what” of SEE Learning and the remaining chapters fill out the “how. </p>