Empathy NOT Apathy.
I think it is important to demonstrate empathy with all students no matter their situation. Stress is subjective and many of us, as instructors can forget that not everyone has a strong sense of self worth. Many times we get in the mind-set of "That's not THAT big of a deal." or think "I've seen students conquer way more than that without stressing out." But EVERY individual is different - with different support systems- different coping mechanisms- some are much stronger than others- Some have NEVER had anyone believe they can succeed therefore they are quick to give up on themselves. Sometimes all it takes is showing them the light at the end of the tunnel and telling them you believe they CAN make it there.
Hi Dana.....I just completed ED115 which mainly addresses the importance of instructors improving their "Softskills" in the clasasroom..Your comment fits right in with that idea.......and no matter how empathetic wa feel we are, I believe there's ALWAYS room for improvement!
Emotional Intelligence vs Intellectual Intelligence, that was really interesting. EI is so important in work, things like common sense used to be common, but like my grandfather would say, 'Common sense is the least common of the senses'. If you have good EI it can be a great asset because as some say, 'you just get it'. It's hard to teach, I think harder than technical skills which can be memorized, for instance. EI and soft skills require a different kind of analysis.
