Today I read this sentence in The Tao of Teaching: "Reach out to find points of empathy with all your students. Encourage them and find ways to provide equal attention with positive language and a sense of personal responsibility." It struck me how necessary this is, how down to earth, and yet how hard to remember every day.
First, the concept of finding "points of empathy" with students is not a common one. Many teachers (including me on a lot of days) are thinking of the lesson, managing the class, the myriad pressures and responsibilities we have... and we lose track of those sitting right in front of us. Even being aware of them takes effort. I don't mean knowing that they are physically in front of us. If that's a chore, we do have problems! I mean being aware of their moods, what they might be feeling or thinking. And I love the idea of providing equal attention with "a sense of personal responsibility". I took that to mean that the students and I share in the ownership of their learning.
