The Counselors Desk Classroom Support Series Connection Before Content: Brain Breaks & Empathy in Action Practical in-class strategies for emotional check-ins, group empathy & pastoral one-on-ones IB MYP Middle School Resource The Edutopia video above shows us something deceptively simple: a few intentional minutes of movement, collaboration, and community-building can shift the entire energy of a classroom. But for IB MYP educators who have been exploring the new empathy , brain breaks are far more than just fun fillers between lessons. They are micro-moments of connection — structured opportunities to practise presence, validate peers, and build the psychological safety that makes real learning possible. This post connects what you watched to what you can do, right now, in your classroom. From the Video 9 brain breaks from Ed...
The Counselors Desk Classroom Support Series “New Empathy” in Middle Schoolers Credits: Jessica Luna · IB MYP Educator Resource Middle school is one of the most emotionally turbulent phases of a young person's life. As IB MYP educators, we are uniquely positioned not just to teach, but to model and nurture the kind of empathy our students will carry into the world. The distinction below is powerful. The old empathy was about absorbing others' emotions, losing yourself in them, trying to feel exactly what someone else feels. The new empathy is more grounded and sustainable. It is about presence, validation, and intentional support. The Distinction ✦ The New Empathy ✦ The Old Empathy ...