From September 26 to 28, Mary, Founder and President of Roots of Empathy, was one of two Thought Leaders invited to address global Ministers of Education and their teams in Edinburgh, Scotland.
In her formal presentation, Mary emphasized the role of empathy and relational teaching in strengthening student connections, shaping classrooms where students feel a sense of belonging and inclusivity. This, in turn, promotes greater student engagement—an urgent need as schools contend with rising absenteeism and increased student dysregulation.
Following this, Mary delivered a public talk titled Reach to Teach: Empathy – The Superhighway to Connection, where she spotlighted Roots of Empathy’s vision for education that builds not only academic competencies but also nurtures the empathy needed to foster friendships – “armour for a child”. Mary observed that schools have a massive influence, it’s not just where children learn but it’s where they become. Learning emotional literacy is state-dependent. Watch Mary’s presentation here.