A Call for Empathy
Sherri Marquez
Columbia State Community College
Few of us have lived through circumstances similar to our current pandemic conditions. In fact, this crisis has inspired endless opportunities for sociological research and reflection. Teachers and professors, who some have attributed the distinction of frontline workers, have a valuable perspective on different ways the pandemic has transformed education and our communities.
In recent years, the topic and practice of empathy have been explored in a variety of Diversity and Inclusion trainings and Ted talks. Empathy can be described as the ability to share the suffering or emotions of another. We, as sociologists, often talk and teach about sociological imaginations and how these (empathetic) attitudes can be applied to our daily interactions and within our institutions.
Some have noted a decline in empathy amongst college students, leading many professors and institutions to embed empathy in their curriculums, either as an overt or covert objective. A push to help students become more empathetic individuals is an effort for them to better serve their community in and outside academia (Rockwell et al. 2019). My focus on empathy is a response to the aftermath of a pandemic that has continued to affect us all, though in different ways. I echo those who have called for empathy as something to nurture in our students. Nonetheless, I argue that we, should not only encourage empathy in our students, but we should all practice empathy towards our students (and our peers). While our current circumstances remind us of our adaptability and resilience, we must remain aware of our vulnerability and be cautious, respectful, and empathetic to one another.
As a first-year community college instructor teaching on zoom, I have attended several professional development meetings, where a frequent theme was “how will we help students reach their academic goals during a pandemic?” As a first-generation, non-traditional, recent MA graduate myself, the qualities that I most valued from my professors were their approachability, empathy, and guidance. Currently, empathy seems to be not only a recurring theme but a predominant one, one that deserves attention. During my first week of class over zoom, while some students struggled with their audio and video buttons and I struggled to keep up with the chat and sharing my screen, I asked my students “what do you expect from me this semester?”. Students responded with the following words: respect, helpfulness, honesty, patience, presence, mindfulness, and grace. After reading and gathering these expectations, I set out to practice these commitments to my students during our weekly meetings. I offered them the opportunity to reach out to me. And, although I was not always able to “fix” their problems, one-on-one focused time seems to be sought and valued. It is noteworthy that encouraging my students to engage in conversation with me was a rewarding experience.
Students had an opportunity not only to discuss class matters but to share their recent and past experiences, as well as future goals in and outside of academia. Essentially, my students had an opportunity to engage in a conversation with an adult who shared time and was willing to listen to them. Certainly, not every professor will have enough hours in the day to juggle their own work and family responsibilities while trying to accommodate every student. However, it is worth keeping in mind that one conversation can go a long way, plus, not every student will need that extra time or meeting.
All in all, I would encourage professors to pay attention to the needs that come up during conversations with students and to think of the different ways we can address such needs. At times, all we can do is point them in the right direction.
My experience as a first-time instructor during a pandemic has been enlightening, challenging, yet gratifying. My students have exemplified the meaning of the words resilience, adaptation, and empathy. In spite of countless factors working against many, particularly threats to our own health and wellbeing, still, we manage to continue pushing forward, working, studying, caregiving, and hoping that soon we can get control over this virus.
References
Rockwell, Ashley, Chris M. Vidmar, Penny Harvey, and Leanna Greenwood. 2019. “Do Sociology Courses Make More Empathetic Students? A Mixed-Methods Study of Empathy Change in Undergraduates.” Teaching Sociology 47(4): 284–302