Have you ever walked into an emotionally toxic environment? You can feel it. Its poison seems to be in the air. Good teachers know how important it is to foster healthy relationships between children, but it is equally important to build positive relationships among the adults in educational settings, as well. Children pick up on negative energy between the adults that care for them, and challenging behavior exhibited by children can possibly be in response to a negative emotional environment in the classroom. Teachers and parents must be positive role models for creating healthy relationships! Exchange pleasant greetings, make eye contact, speak kindly, offer help and encouragement, and smile!

Positive energy is real, and it is vital to our health and wellbeing! Smile at someone today! :) 

Social and emotional development is a key component in the development and education of human beings. It is written into the curricula of many preschool programs, but often disappears from the written school curriculum around the first grade. It is my belief that within the social and emotional learning domain, pro-social behavior must be intentionally taught and supported in all classrooms from early childhood through the elementary and secondary grades. Pro-social behavior, the capacity to notice the distress of others and respond to people in ways that will help or benefit them, is important for the success of learners in the school setting and adults in the workplace and personal relationships. 
This is an excellent article from the NY Times that discusses the development of empathy and other pro-social behaviors, like kindness and compassion. Give it a read.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/understanding-how-children-develop-empathy/