Le-Anne Goliath is a doctoral researcher in Social Psychology at the University of Sussex. Her research examines how radical empathy can foster resilience and a sense of belonging in children affected by trauma in schools. Originally from Cape Town, she has taught internationally and now lectures in Educational Psychology at the University of Stellenbosch. Le-Anne is passionate about reimagining education through relationships of care and justice, and about helping first-generation and trauma-affected learners to thrive.
In this guest blog, Le-Anne introduces radical empathy and shares how experiencing it in high school transformed her future. Read on for an exploration into what radical empathy looks (and doesn’t look like) in practice, and for an invitation to schools and organisations to participate in Le-Anne’s doctoral research.
Growing up in a gang-ridden neighbourhood in Cape Town, you come to assume that children are problems to manage rather than humans with potential. Being labelled as ‘troubled’ or having teachers pity you, simply because of your address, is a reality that many children face, especially those who come from where I come from.
As a child, what I yearned for most was not sympathy or pity or even lowered expectations, but for an adult to take my dreams seriously and expect me to pursue them. Unfortunately, I never received this from my teachers until I was in my final year of high school.
Nevertheless, when this did happen to me during university, it changed everything. Having someone see me for my potential not only shaped my life as a teacher, researcher, and now doctoral student, but it also opened my eyes to the transformative power of radical empathy. This experience, along with the many others I have had, gave me the lens through which I understand radical empathy. It’s a power that can genuinely transform educational outcomes.
What radical empathy is (and isn’t)
When we talk about empathy in education, we often mean compassion, patience, or the ability to ‘understand where a child is coming from’. These are valuable qualities, but they can sometimes slide into what I call ‘soft empathy’: the well-meaning impulse to lower expectations for children who have faced trauma or hardship.
Radical empathy is different. It is the process by which adults learn to take children seriously. It means recognizing that every child has the right to dream, and then holding them responsible, with our support, for striving toward those dreams. Practising radical empathy is to seek to empower children in all of our interactions with them. As adults, it’s a responsibility we should all be motivated to fulfil.
Taking children seriously is radical because it requires us to do two hard things at once:
- To see beyond the labels, statistics, or the immediate crises in a child’s life.
- And at the same time, to resist the temptation of pity, which can rob children of their agency.
“Radical empathy is the process by which adults learn to take children seriously.”
– Le-Anne Goliath
Why it matters
In my current research at the University of Sussex, I am investigating how radical empathy can enhance the academic resilience of learners who have been affected by trauma. Many of the children I hope to work with have experienced loss, violence, or instability. Too often, schools respond either by treating them as broken or by ignoring their struggles altogether.
Radical empathy insists on another path: one where we acknowledge trauma but refuse to let it define potential. It says to a child, “I see your pain. But I also see your potential.”
This is not an easy balance. It requires adults (teachers, parents, community members) to sit in the tension between care and challenge. But when we get it right, something extraordinary happens. Children begin to believe in their capacity to learn, to adapt, and to thrive.
What it looks like in practice
When I taught in South Africa and abroad, I learned quickly that children know when they’re being taken seriously. They notice when adults ask about their dreams and follow up on them. They feel the difference when a teacher sets the bar high but provides the scaffolding to help them reach it.
One of my students once told me, “Miss, everyone thinks I’ll just drop out. But you keep giving me work like I can do it. It makes me want to try.”
That’s radical empathy in action: the combination of belief and expectation, nurtured through relationship.
The adult’s work
Radical empathy isn’t just about children changing; it’s about adults learning as well. It challenges us to confront our own biases, such as when we assume a child ‘can’t handle’ responsibility or when we soften our standards out of misplaced kindness.
To practice radical empathy, we need to:
- Listen deeply: Hear not just the story of struggle, but the spark of hope.
- Set expectations: Let children know their dreams are valid by expecting effort toward them.
- Stay in relationship: Walk alongside them, offering both support and accountability.
Looking ahead
This isn’t just theory for me. I am currently beginning a doctoral research project at the University of Sussex, and I am seeking schools and organizations that would like to partner in exploring radical empathy in action. I hope to learn alongside teachers and learners, and to co-create tools that support children affected by trauma in their journey to thrive. This is a call for collaboration, for all of us to come together and work towards a more empathetic and effective education system. Your participation is crucial in advancing this approach.
A call to take children seriously
Imagine if every child, especially those most affected by trauma, encountered adults who truly took them seriously. Not just as future workers or test scores, but as dreamers and doers in the present.
Radical empathy is not easy. It demands time, patience, and the courage to both care and challenge. But I believe it is one of the most powerful ways we can build resilience in children and perhaps reimagine education itself.
When we take children seriously, we give them more than empathy. We give them the tools and the trust to become who they are meant to be.
Partnering with children in this way is not charity; it is justice. It is the radical act of empathy that says, “Your dream matters. And I will hold you to it.”
If your school or organization is interested in partnering with Le-Anne to explore radical empathy in action, please message her at l920929@outlook.com.
