INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND TEACHER EMPATHY: AFFECTIVITY IN TEACHING CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

Abstract

This paper aims to reflect on the importance of loving kindness and empathy in the context of inclusive education, highlighting the sensitive role of teachers in mediating the teaching and learning processes of children with disabilities. Based on a theoretical-reflective approach, anchored in authors such as Paulo Freire, Rosita Edler Carvalho, and Nel Noddings, the study discusses how affection, active listening, and recognition of the uniqueness of each student can contribute to a more just, welcoming, and transformative pedagogical practice. The study explores the legal frameworks of inclusive education in Brazil, the historical and structural challenges still faced in everyday school life, and analyzes proposals that value affection as a pedagogical strategy. Furthermore, it presents successful experiences and practices that demonstrate the possibility of building a school environment in which difference is understood as a strength, not a limitation. The conclusion is that affective inclusive education requires ethical commitment, ongoing training, and openness to others, and is an essential path to a truly democratic school.