MEET THE TEACHER!
And, believe it or not, it’s baby Carina, who at f ive months old is helping pupils to tackle bullying in the classroom
SHE is so young she hasn’t even learned to crawl – but already Carina Campbell is taking her first steps into the world of teaching.
The five-month-old girl is one of the first babies to be drafted into Scottish schools as part of a radical new scheme to tackle bullying.
Baby Carina is now a regular visitor to a primary school, where pupils are learning about her development, discussing her behaviour, as well as singing songs and playing with her.
The ‘tiny teachers’ scheme aims to encourage young children to consider the needs of others.
The programme – called Roots of Empathy – was brought to Scotland by Paul Carberry, director of service development for the Action for Children Scotland charity, who is also a member of the Scottish Government’s Early Years Taskforce.
Almost one in three Scottish pupils has suffered bullying, including name-calling, hitting and having their belongings stolen. But the new
‘It’s interesting watching her’
initiative, which has been piloted in North Lanarkshire and is now being rolled out across the country, aims to tackle the problem of discipline and bad behaviour in an unusual way – by using babies to help children be more caring to each other.
The courses, which originated in Canada, are run by Action for Children, backed with £1.2 million from the Scottish Government.
The Primary Three class at High Blantyre Primary, Lanarkshire, will follow Carina’s progress until her first birthday. Last week, The Scottish Mail on Sunday joined Carina and mother Geraldine Campbell for their third visit to the school.
Staff say the normally ‘boisterous’ seven-year-old pupils become peaceful and focused after the visits.
The sessions follow a specific theme where the group sit in a circle on the floor and the children are encouraged to be gentle and quiet.
The baby is brought round the circle and the children are allowed to welcome her by touching her toes and saying hello.
During the 30-minute session, instructor Paul Carroll used examples such as teething, tiredness and crying to encourage children to imagine how Carina might feel and how her mother might help her.
Specific focus is put on asking the children to understand the feelings of baby and mother – and how they felt about seeing her – to inspire them to explore the concept of empathy.
Pupil Jorja Leggat said: ‘We’ve learned about settling a baby, and she always needs to be fed and well cared for. Baby Carina has been really interesting and she has changed a lot since she was born.’
Classmate Brook Dunsmore said: ‘Baby Carina is very cute and very nice and she’s quite small. My favourite part is watching her play with her toys. I think it’s interesting watching her.’
Crucially, after the sessions, teach- ers reinforce the message of empathy, for example in situations where children get into arguments.
Headteacher Catherine Meechan said the school did not have a particular problem with bullying, but felt the initiative was useful for younger children. She added: ‘By having a baby in the class it’s a tool and you can talk about how they feel and how you feel.’
Carina’s mother, Mrs Campbell, a 33-year-old civil servant from Dennistoun, Glasgow, said she wanted to take part in the scheme because she felt it would benefit her daughter as well as the local children.
She said: ‘I am a first-time mum so I’m still learning myself. It’s good for the kids to see Carina in different ways. I feel very comfortable taking her into class. The kids are excited, but they know they are around a baby.’
The sessions are being started in 27 council areas, using local mothers and babies as volunteers.
A recent evaluation of the Lanarkshire pilot showed children who had undergone the programme showed an increase in their ability to help and share and improvements in their social skills, empathy and sympathy compared to children who had not undergone the programme.
Mr Carberry said: ‘We have demonstrated the success of the programme. Social and empathy development in children is important in raising educational attainment and understanding the feelings of other children.’