# Gear Up Pre-Work

## What role does empathy play in your life and how has it helped you?

Empathy has helped me become a better teacher. Firstly, it has helped me identify and meet students' emotional or physical wellness needs before meeting their academic needs. For example, any time I saw a student with their head down, I would always ask them, "Are you okay?" instead of starting with, "Put your head up." If the student was actually fine, I could always tell from their reaction when they lifted their head. However, if the student seemed unwell, I would always follow up with, "Are you sleepy? Sick? Sad? Hungry?" Just asking those four questions would let the student know that I was not mad at them for sleeping in class, but that I was interested in helping them. These types of interactions help me build relationships with students, which in turn made them want to listen to my instructions and try hard in my class.


## How does empathy help you build better software?

Empathy helps developers build better software because it helps us understand what clients actually want, not what we think they need. Instead of looking at a problem and coming up with our version of a solution, we need to ask the people who are affected by the problem what solution they need. There are a myriad reasons why this is good design philosophy, but here are just a few:
1. Clients will place higher value on product that feels customized to their needs
2. Developers will care more about delivering high-quality product to people they feel a connection with
3. The company builds a positive public image

## Why is empathy important for working on a team?

Any team will have differences of opinion. Empathy can help resolve those conflicts by helping you to understand opposing points of view, and communicate your own point of view in a way that helps teammates understand you. To show that you understand someone's viewpoint, first you need to listen without interrupting--it is a conversation, not an argument. Next, paraphrase what you understand about their viewpoint, and ask clarifying questions to parts you don't understand. Once a teammate feels they have been heard, they become less defensive in their stance, and will be more willing to compromise. When communicating your opinion, the same rules apply. Choose words carefully so as to seeem more negotiating and cooperative than combative. Group dynamics are complex, and conflicts vary in magnitude, but these guidelines help to maintain healthy working relationships and resolve conflicts productively.


## Describe a situation in which your ability to empathize with a colleague or teammate was helpful.

In the first half of my last year of teaching, I was struggling. Many of my students were behind grade-level in their math skills and/or were English language learners. The curriculum provided for us to use was not very conducive to their learning. Therefore, I was spending several hours every day creating my own lessons from scratch because I wanted my students to have acecssible material and feel successful in their academic growth. Coupled with additional administrative expectations, and a salary that was bringing me further into debt every month, I felt I had reached a breaking point after a few months. I decided to have a hard conversation with my principal in which I made myself very vulnerable and explained all the reason I felt like I needed to leave the job. She was not pleased, and was struggling to maintain her composure. However, in a moment of great empathy, she apologized for her tone, explained why she felt so upset, and recommended that we continue the conversation the next day. Eventually, we were able to agree to new terms. I finished the year with a manageable workload, most of my students showed incredible academic growth, and I left with an amazing sense of accomplishment and personal growth. If I had ot opened up so genuinely, and if my principal had not been so empathetic when hearing my concerns, it it not likely that we would have achieved such a positive outcome.


## When do you find it most difficult to be empathetic in professional settings? How can you improve your skills when faced with these scenarios?

I find it most difficult to be empathetic when I am under a lot of stress myself. It is hard sometimes to focus on the needs of others when I feel that not all of my needs are being met. That is part of the reason I was feeling so burnt out midway through last school year. I knew I was not being my best teacher self, because I was not taking care of myself as well as I should have. I had to learn to set limits for myself, so that I could be more "on" and productive during work time. I was able to find a work-life balance that was manageable, but still not ideal. The biggest missing piece that I still need to improve is to make time for regular exercise. I know that running in the morning and eating a healthy breakfast helps to stabilize my mood and energy throughout the day. I need to make this part of my daily routine while at Turing so that I can be at my best for myself and for my team.