Educator urges curriculum that builds empathy, character to counter hate speech

An elementary/junior school principal who spoke in the meeting transcript said teaching empathy and character alongside academics can help students resist hate speech.

The commenter, a principal at an elementary/junior school, told meeting attendees that “anyone is going to be vulnerable to hate speech,” and said schools should develop curricula that help students “see people being different and you humanize them too.” The principal argued that humanizing others and teaching students to understand global diversity are central to building empathy.

The principal said academic skills remain important — “we want our students to be able to learn mathematics, literacy, to read and to write, to do science” — but added that character development and opportunities to understand differences are sometimes even more important. “We want them to be open minded. We want them to be caring. We want them to be risk takers,” the principal said, later adding that being “knowledgeable” and “principled” are values that help students adapt and resist hate speech.

In describing classroom goals, the principal emphasized teaching students to recognize the humanity of people who may belong to countries or groups that are in political opposition. “So to try to humanize people and to try to understand the diversity — empathy,” the principal said, framing that understanding as a defense against hate speech.

The transcript records these remarks as part of a single speaker’s comments. There is no record in the transcript of formal action, a vote, or staff direction tied to the remarks.