Pedagogical Empathy as Instructor Self-Care: Struggles, Structures, and Support

Authors

Colleen J. Hart, Wayne State UniversityFollow

Author Biographies

Colleen J. Hart is a Ph.D. Candidate in English at Wayne State University. She specializes in Rhetoric and Writing studies, and her research interests including feminist rhetoric, writing pedagogy, visual rhetoric, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.

Abstract

Building from interviews with writing instructors at an urban R1 institution, this article identifies the struggles between balancing empathetic teaching practice—a practice that seeks to understand and address another’s needs in the classroom—with practicing self-care. In proposing a feminist pedagogical empathy, this article investigates how empathetic teaching practices, such as flexibility and transparency, and empathetic course policies can offer benefits to both instructors and students. Ultimately, I argue that empathetic teaching practice can function as self-care for instructors, rather than be considered additional labor or diminished as lenient or unrigorous, upholds rigor by clearly defining expectations for students while also providing them the support necessary to be successful in coursework.

Recommended Citation

Hart, Colleen J. (2025) "Pedagogical Empathy as Instructor Self-Care: Struggles, Structures, and Support," Language Arts Journal of Michigan: Vol. 39: Iss. 1, Article 18.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.9707/2168-149X.2429

Publication Date

8-2025