Author Emily Bazelon talks with Parents

Addressing more than seventy fellow parents in Heath Dining Room, Bazelon shared ideas and research on minimizing a culture of bullying by enlarging a child’s capacity for empathy and character building. “One of the reasons kids are mean is they are very concerned about their own status and protecting that status”, said Bazelon. “Social pressure to succeed and to be on top is a strong cultural message.” She cited a survey conducted by the Making Caring Common Project at Harvard that reported 80% of students chose high achievement and happiness as a priority, with only 20% choosing caring for others. Bazelon noted that this mindset of achievement is difficult to change by high school years. She noted that innovative work is being done in middle school grades where “an effective way to build a culture of caring is to let kids come up with their own strategies to shape the message.”

You can read Bazelon’s column on the findings of the Making Caring Common Project here: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/06/25/making_caring_common_project_study_finds_that_students_value_achievement.html