Poetry and the Education of Compassion

In this fourth volume of his series of poems on compassion, Professor Patrick Pietroni focuses specifically on the education of compassion. He asks, "Can we create an educational system that can include a compassionate curriculum?" and, if so, "What does such a curriculum include and how should it be delivered?"

Experimental educational approaches began as early as 1921, but in this volume Pietroni explores how the compassionate development of a child can be encouraged or discouraged, how to make the compassionate educational journey intentional, and how to make compassion the key organizing principle of school life. Within a compassionate school curriculum, poetry ignites students to think about what it is like to share their opinions, be heard, and make a difference in their world. Poets and contributors include William Shakespeare, Robert Frost, Thomas Hardy, and numerous others.