Students are worried. They are worried that they will have to attend all online classes when they return to school and they miss the face to face classes. They are worried that the new scheduling will not have the classes available they need to graduate. They are worried they won’t be able to attend sporting events, social gatherings, and other interpersonal experiences. When you have a student that expresses such a feeling through a comment or their facial expression, sometimes the difference between delivering a satisfactory experience vs. a great experience is just acknowledging those feelings. Letting students know you care and are willing to look through their lens can go a long way.
Here are some helpful phrases to communicate understanding and empathy. The key is listening to the student and then sincerely responding with an appropriate reply perhaps starting with one of these phrases:
• Thank you for bringing this to our attention…
• I know we can help you…
• You were good to catch this problem…
• I can understand what you are saying about the situation…
• Yes, I see your position…
• I initially felt just as you do about it…
• I want to help you…
• Quite a few people feel that way…
• It does seem like it could be interpreted that way…