Embargo Period

5-1-2024

Degree Name

MA in International Education

First Advisor

Sora Friedman

Second Advisor

Alla Korzh

Abstract

This qualitative research study explores the opinions and experiences of a group of six educators at Kate Bond Elementary in Memphis, Tennessee. This research examines how these educators utilize empathy as a teaching tool, how they choose to implement social-emotional learning into their classrooms, and how their own educational histories impact their current teaching practices. Data collection spanned four weeks and consisted of six interviews. The findings suggest that empathy not only plays a role in education but is, for this group of educators, inseparable from the academic learning they facilitate in their classrooms. The educators interviewed in this study called attention to the ways in which they are able to turn a challenging moment into a teachable opportunity, spoke about the relationships both they and their students have with guidance staff at the school, and acknowledged the lasting impacts that social-emotional learning has had on their students. This research provides insight into how teacher-student relationships guide education and the importance of utilizing a social-emotional learning curriculum.

Keywords: education, elementary educators, empathy, social-emotional learning

Disciplines

Early Childhood Education | Educational Methods | Elementary Education

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