What is empathy?

Empathy Understanding how someone else feels without feeling sorry for him or her To put yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand how they feel

Empathy at school “As a school, we’ve done a lot of work with human rights,” said Michael McDermott, the middle school principal. “But you can’t have kids saving Dafur and isolating a peer in the lunchroom. It all has to go together.”

Components of Empathy 1. The ability to identify how another person feels through: Physical cues – facial expressions, body language Verbal cues – language, tone Situational cues – what is happening?

Components of Empathy 2. The ability to understand another person’s point of view Experiences Feelings Values Needs and Motivations

Components of Empathy 3. The ability to respond emotionally to another person: Enhancers: having similar experience to the other person finding ways you are like the other person Diminishers labels stereotypes prejudices

Empathy Quotes People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Bonnie Jean Wasmund

Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. Scott Adams Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned. Peter Marshall

Some people think only intellect counts; knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship, compassion and empathy. Dean Koontz

We have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all – the apathy of human beings. Helen Keller The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it. Albert Einstein

Dear Teacher, I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no man should witness: Gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children killed by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates. So, I am suspicious of education. My request is: Help your students become more human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more humane.

They came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists but I was not one of them, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for me and by that time there was no one left to speak up. Martin Niemöller