Review: What is Empathy?

Empathy is the act of understanding and experiencing the thoughts and feelings of another person.

This definition is not confined to traumatic experiences. You can experience and understand the thoughts/feelings of another person in many situations. With empathy, you take the focus off of yourself and put it on someone else. You can never fully understand what it’s like to be someone else. But by making an attempt to take the focus off of yourself and put it on someone else, you allow yourself to link or connect with them. You build compassion and understanding.

REFLECT: What does it mean to build a community of one? Why is this important in the drama classroom? 

To build a community of one is to create a classroom environment where all students work toward the goal of making themselves, others, and the class successful by creating a community that is positive and supporting.