By Diana Davis
When we think of success, skills like collaboration, time management, and critical thinking may immediately come to mind. While these skills are important, many 21st-century employers argue that empathy—the ability to identify with others and share their emotions—is at the heart of success. It’s also at the heart of being human.
Empathy demonstrates that you can relate to other people, shows you are self-aware, and that you can deal with your emotions and other people’s struggles.
So how do we teach students to master a skill that’s rooted in emotion instead of fact?
Diana Davis is the Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum Supervisor at Milton Hershey School. MHS is a cost-free private residential school located in Hershey, PA, that serves more than 2,000 students from lower income families.
