By By CPS (St. Josepth’s) Healthy Courier cub reporters | St. Joseph’s third-grade Cub reporters interviewed school counselor Mrs. Humphrey on why showing empathy matters. Empathy is the feeling that you understand and share another person’s experiences, according to merriam-webster.com.
When you put yourself in another person’s place, you can imagine what the other person is going through, what they might be feeling, and how you might feel if you were in their place.
Below are their questions and her answers. The interview has been lightly edited.
Q: Please define empathy.
Mrs. Humphrey: Empathy for me means looking outside of myself and understanding or considering what others may be feeling.
Q: How does your job relates to empathy.
Mrs. Humphrey: I meet young people of all ages. When speaking to them, I listen and give them the opportunity to express themselves without being judged.
Q: How does empathy benefit a child?
Mrs. Humphrey: Showing empathy could help stop bullying. Showing empathy can help you say kinder words to each other. And showing empathy can help reduce conflicts between students.
Q: Share a strategy that you use to teach people how to show empathy.
Mrs. Humphrey: I give students real-life scenarios called, “How Does It Make You Feel?” Acting out these different situations helps students to be more mindful in showing empathy to one another.
Illustration by Elias, 5th grade, Yorkship, 25-26.
