Teaching Empathy is Needed in Today’s Society
Launch the media gallery 1 playerIntelligence is foremost when it comes to human characteristics. As extremely important as traditional intelligence is, emotional intelligence and empathy are also crucial qualities that we often take for granted as “soft skills” that you just learn naturally in life. But maybe traditional education should be focusing more on these skills, as studies show emotional intelligence fosters healthy relationships, strengthens communication, creates positive social experiences, and improves overall emotional well-being. Emotional intelligence allows us to make connections with others of any gender, age, culture, religion, race, and economic status.
A viral video across social media has shown someone walking past a wounded, bleeding woman lying in the grass. Instead of stopping to help or even running to safety, as what sounds like gunshots are heard in the background, the person walks by sipping from their Starbucks drink without reaction. This highly talked about video allegedly was filmed during the Florida State University shooting in Tallahassee, on Thursday, April 17th. This incident shows the increasing divide and lack of empathy in society today.
Eroding empathy has been a noticeable issue with problems such as cybercrime, harsh language and comments on social media, and school shootings arising in the world today. Researchers have discovered that empathy for others has been decreasing significantly in the last recent decades. With this, I believe that we need to act to improve it by infiltrating empathy with emotional regulation and awareness in the classroom.
In elementary, we had guidance class once in a while, which was when we got out of our normal schedule to have a class with our school counselor. This included time engaging in activities that helped us manage our feelings, understand emotions, resolve conflicts, and communicate clearly. Those days were my favorite, and my little self often looked forward to them. Now in high school, I’m taking the FCS class, Relationships, and it has become my favorite class. This class focuses on building our emotional intelligence. Navigating your emotions and the emotions of others is a skill that is so needed in our society, just as others are, so classes like these shouldn’t be viewed as unnecessary.
This will help society as a whole and be beneficial for students’ future. My desired future career, Nursing, shows the importance of emotional intelligence. To be good nurse, of course you need accuracy and efficiency, but empathy, compassion, kindness, and emotional awareness are characteristics of a GREAT nurse.
Being able to regulate your emotions and understand another's emotions is a skill that goes beyond test scores. It is part of what makes us human, and because of this, I believe emotional intelligence should be incorporated in the classroom and become the centrality in every school setting.