Using Empathy to Motivate Students

Being an empathetic teacher is beneficial when it comes to students getting the most out of their education. Students are in such a moldable stage of their lives and it is important to surround them with teachers who try to understand and support their needs. In the article, “Are You Listening? How Empathy and Caring Can Lead to Connected Knowing” by Cindy Hasio, she says, “By simply trying to connect with the student by showing that you care about his or her concerns, a teacher can automatically gain trust.” 

When a student can gain your trust and respect they are more likely to participate in class and be open to asking questions when they don’t understand the content. In my first field experience at an elementary school, the students respected their teacher. She was respected because she trusted every student with tasks, knew their names, and listened to them, and let them share about their art. She even structured her lessons around their interests, which worked to keep the students engaged. When they were given a project, they were eager to start working right away.

Another experience I had was opposite to this one. It was different because it was in a high school with older students who tend to be less motivated. The teacher though did not help this lack of motivation from her students. From my observations, she had her favorite students and did not spend time listening to all her students. The ELL students were neglected in the back of the room with only their interpreter to help them.

Hasio mentions in her article the idea of creating a culture where students listen to one another also. This helps class discussions be more inclusive and in an art classroom, art critiques can be more productive. If students aren’t listened to, they fear sharing their opinions and ideas in front of the class. When this happens, only a couple of students might share, which is not the goal. 

As a teacher, I want to be gentle and empathetic. I want to listen to students and ask them about their artwork and what it means to them. I want them to trust me and care about what they learn about in the classroom. In the article, “Motivating Urban Youth: Honoring the Experiences of Adolescents” by Karen Cummings, it addresses creating lessons that are challenging, yet not discouraging. We want to reach our students and create scaffolding, instead of overwhelming students. This gives the students confidence and trust for their teacher.

As a class, we are working on a community service project with Junior High School students. We are currently working on creating an artist statement that will summarize and give an understanding of the artwork. When I think about the topic of empathy, I think that the statement needs to include their goals of listening to and learning about one another to understand and embrace their differences and create community.

There are so many ways to create a culture of empathy and motivation in your classroom and it starts with the teacher. How do you choose to embrace it?