Recharging the Empathy Bank: How Supportive Supervision Can Boost Teachers' Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to one’s ability to perceive, understand, regulate, and leverage emotions in positive ways. Research shows EI is a key indicator of personal and professional success across many domains.

One of the core competencies of EI is empathy - the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Empathy is a crucial skill for educators, allowing them to better understand and connect with the experiences and perspectives of their students. And the need for empathy is perhaps greater than ever before in today’s schools, with students facing unprecedented learning disruptions and social-emotional challenges from the pandemic. That’s why consciously cultivating and caring for educator empathy must be a priority.

The benefits of high empathy skills in teachers and staff are multifaceted. Studies show empathy enhances relationships and trust between educators and learners. This motivates greater student engagement, attention, interest in academics and activities at school. Teacher empathy also helps create an open, safe setting for students to take learning risks, ask questions without fear of judgment, and support each other in the classroom community. Importantly, empathy guides educators in truly “seeing” each student as an individual and providing the differentiated instruction struggling learners may need to thrive.

Studies demonstrate that educators with high empathy tend to have better relationships with students, create more positive classroom environments, and achieve better student outcomes. However, empathy can be emotionally taxing for teachers as they carry the weight of students’ struggles day after day.

How can Supportive Supervision in Education play a vital role?

However, practicing consistent empathy in the high-demands environment of a school can diminish educator reserves without proper care. Teacher burnout continues to climb, with inadequate resources and support exhausting teachers’ capacities for self-care and connecting empathetically with students through every challenge.

Supportive Supervision refers to a regular and consistent process of reflection that focuses on teachers’ overall wellbeing, professional growth, and ability to manage stress. Unlike administrational supervision, which the word ‘supervision’ traditionally denotes, which concentrates more on evaluation, compliance, and quality control, Supportive Supervision in Education utilises a strengths-based approach. Trained Supervisors, commonly Clinical Supervisors with teaching experience in school settings, provide resources, coaching, feedback, and opportunities for self-care and reflection. This allows teachers to process challenging emotions, restore depleted reserves of empathy, and continue fostering healthy teacher-student relationships. 

Practical examples

For instance, qualified Supportive Supervisors can help teachers set professional boundaries regarding appropriate emotional involvement with students. Supportive Supervisors can guide teachers in applying trauma-informed techniques for working with students impacted by trauma. Supportive Supervisors can help school staff recognise when their empathy bank is drying up and evaporating, leaving them with scarce empathy towards others, which left unchecked, can negatively project onto colleagues, parents and students. Supportive Supervisors can provide clear perspectives.

These are just some examples of how Supportive Supervision in Education facilitates skills associated with emotional intelligence.

Effect

Emotional intelligence abilities like empathy are invaluable for student success but can take a toll on teachers over time. Providing educators with Supportive Supervision gives them space to recharge empathy reserves and learn skills to sustain emotionally intelligent teaching practices. From setting boundaries to promoting self-care, Supportive Supervision enables teachers to effectively perceive, understand, and regulate classroom emotions. In doing so, it plays an integral role in building EI competencies that allow teachers to connect with and uplift students.

Ultimately, incorporating Supportive Supervision into schools’ professional development framework facilitates the enhancement of emotional intelligence in ways that translate to better educational outcomes.

Interested to find out more about Supportive Supervision in Education? Feel free to email me: cathy@refreshreset.com.au