Building Empathy Through Tangible Learning Experiences
By Ashleigh Glickley
Every day, students around the world are seeking answers to climate issues and wondering how they can make a difference in their communities. One such issue is the global water crisis. World Vision reports that 1 in 11 people worldwide lack access to clean water and points out that women and girls around the world walk about 3.7 miles daily to haul 44 pounds of water. As educators looking to answer difficult questions, as well as teach and empower our students, we must turn to fellow teachers for support and inspiration.
This type of inspiration came for me recently while attending the inauguration of newly National Board Certified teachers in Frankfort, Kentucky. Our keynote speaker, 2025 Kentucky Teacher of the Year, Jennifer Montgomery, knows well the struggles of living without access to clean running water. As a child, Montgomery grew up in a three-room cabin in rural Kentucky without running water or telephone service; and her family drove 20 miles each week to pump water from a well they later used for all household needs.
As Montgomery shared her story to a room of hopeful Kentucky educators, the emotion was palpable. “We often don’t consider that children in our own state could be facing challenges like access to clean potable water,” Montgomery reminded us. She continued to share the ways her background influenced her teaching and recently led her to incorporate tangible learning experiences with her students. An example she gave was a recent unit plan she designed around well-known literature like The Water Princess and A Long Walk to Water, which opened the door to discuss the lack of clean water that many people in our world face. Montgomery continued by sharing photos and a video of her middle school students in Eminence, Kentucky simulating the experience of carrying water around the track measuring the portion of the miles that children in other places of the world have to carry water just to drink, cook, or bathe. This experience left her students building empathy for others and considering how they could make a difference in their own community. As she spoke, the feeling in the room quickly shifted from empathy to empowerment and hearing students’ reflections made me immediately think of ways to inspire and engage my students as well.
In an ever-changing world, we continue to strive to motivate and inspire students to learn about climate challenges and empower them to take steps to make a difference. During these times we should remember that one of our greatest supports comes in the inspiration of others. There are teachers all around us, every day, who share the same passion-it just takes time to hear their stories and learn from their work.