Empathy in education is defined as the capacity of instructors, staff, and administrators to proactively recognize and act sensitively (compassionately) to a student's perceptions, emotional needs, and experiences. Creating a supportive environment allows students to be visible as human beings, not as robotic agents that digest new knowledge. We need to consider our behavior with the goal of not only enhancing students’ engagement and learning process, but to also handle them gently to promote their mental well-being. I am reminded of a saying that incorporates the need to “walk a mile” in a person’s “moccasins.” It is attributed to a poem, “Judge Softly” by Mary T. Lathrap (dated 1895). We do not know the burdens that our students and other members of the learning community experience, so being empathetic is a necessary part of being humane.
