By William Smith
If everyone in the world was empathetic as the first graders of Winfield-Mount Union, wars would have long ceased.
First-grade teacher Angie Jandrey and her staff have been doing their best to strengthen that growing empathy through the We Wish You Well program.
Every morning, the two first-grade classes come together, stand in a circle share a good wish for someone else. It could be their friends. Their parents. Maybe a teacher. The point is the students are thinking about someone else.
“The idea of We Wish You Well came from my daughter, who teaches kindergarten in Johnston,” Jandrey said. “Several years back, she was trained in Dr. Becky Bailey’s Conscience Discipline. The We Wish You Well part was to help children know that our job as teachers is to keep them safe.”
The program has since evolved. Now the children are contributing to others’ lives through their own actions. By seeing the positive consequences, they’re starting to understand how profound that is.
Jandrey said that proactive empathy arose when the class discovered a teacher’s aide had cancer.
“That’s when we started wishing others well instead of just our class. We went around the circle and each child quickly mentioned one person they wanted to wish well,” Jandrey said.
The project mushroomed from there. Whether they knew it or not, the children were changing lives. Jandrey wanted them to know just how much of an impact they were having on others. So she asked some of the well-wish recipients to record thank you videos.
On Thursday, May 25, one day before the final day of school — the first-graders sat quietly in Jandrey’s classroom and watched those videos. Several of those who recorded “thank you” videos were fighting or recovering from cancer, and a few had to hold back tears.
The class heard thank-yous from Diane Latham, a retired dental hygienist from Crest. Gary Fickel, a financial advisor in Iowa City. Micah Shull is a former Southeast Iowa referee from Mount Pleasant. Lydia Ertz Gatton – a Mediapolis native who teaches in Bettendorf. Cara Bunell, assistant homeschool director of Mount Pleasant schools.
Every “thank you” was heartfelt. The kids could tell.
“It was very touching to me to know that I was in your prayers. I’m doing very well, and I’m sure it’s because of all of you,” Latham said in her video.
After the videos ended and the lights lifted, the students seemed stunned. It’s one thing to wish a stranger well. It’s another to see them thank you for it.
“It made me realize how much it meant to them,” said first-grader Charlie Waterman.
Empathy isn’t just about giving. As the children learned, it’s also about the feeling you get from caring for another person. Even if that person is a complete stranger.
“It made me feel good inside,” first-grader Amelia Crawford said.
Most first-graders are hesitant to make such assertions. But Jandrey’s gentle hand has made the school a safe place. Inside that place, they have found courage.
“We are encouraging the students to communicate,” Jandrey said.
“It’s almost a lost art. Looking people in the eyes and speaking directly to them, whether it’s to say ‘I’m sorry’ or explain why you made the decision you did. That can solve a lot of misunderstanding.”
Jandrey’s heart fills at seeing how the program has impacted the children. The circle always starts with the kids holding hands and singing, “We wish you well, we wish you well, we wish you well throughout the day, we wish you well.”
They also recite a list of pledges — ones everyone should live by.
“I will try hard. I will care. I will share. I will listen. It will be nice. I will be safe,” they recite.