Compassion in the Classroom.

Compassion is an important piece of one's personality that is necessary to have in the classroom.  I personally have been affected by the compassion a teacher showed towards me in the second grade.  That year, I had two teachers, Mrs. Fesser and Mrs. Miller.  They team-taught in the same classroom.  One morning, my mom received a phone call from my dad saying that my grandpa had had a massive heart attack and had passed away shortly after.  Even at my young age, I understood what had happened and was devastated.  That day in school we were going on a field trip to a nearby farm.  Despite my mom's wishes, I had begged her to let me go.  She complied, and brought me to school shortly after the phone call.  Upon arriving at school, she informed the teachers what had happened.  I will always remember Mrs. Fesser coming up to me and expressing her sympathy for my family.  She told me that she was going to be my "partner" for the day so I would feel comfortable at the farm.  While we were at the farm, Mrs. Fesser stuck by my side and periodically asked how I was doing.  I felt completely at ease the whole time, and it really meant a lot for her to be there with me the whole day.  It showed that she truly cared for my feelings, and sincerely wanted to make today at least a little bit enjoyable, despite what had happened.  Obviously, if I can remember the story ten years later, it left a pretty big impact.  When I become a teacher, I will always try and model the compassion she demonstrated that day.