Empathy

"There were some advantages to being a woman photographer. I think women have more
empathy with the subject." - Annie Leibovitz

"Humankind seems to have an enormous capacity for savagery, for brutality, for lack of
empathy, for lack of compassion." - Annie Lennox

1. How do you define empathy?

2. How well can you sense problems other people may be feeling?
3. Can empathy make people become better leaders?
4. How much empathy do you feel towards other people?
5. Do you think it is possible to be too empathetic? 
6. Why might it be bad/good for a doctor to have a lot of empathy?
7. In what other jobs is empathy very important?
8. Who is the most empathetic person you know?
9. In what jobs is empathy a bad thing to have?
10. Why do you think humans feel empathy? Do you think animals can feel
empathy?
11. Do you think that people are born with empathy or are they taught it?
12. If you see a homeless person on the street asking for money, what is the
first thing you think about them?
13. Are you good at knowing when something is wrong with a coworker or
family member?
14. What does the idiom “I feel your pain.” mean? Have you ever felt some
else’s pain?
15. Is having too much empathy a problem?
16. What jobs might need to have empathy? Why or why not?
17. What is the evolutionary purpose to empathy? Speculate.
18. Can animals empathise?
19. Is it possible to physically feel the pain of others?
20. Can empathy be taught/developed in people or does it simply come
naturally?
Values.

1. What is a value? What does it mean to you?

2. What is a Family Value? How do groups of people share values?
3. Why should a family define their values?
4. What benefits do you see?
5. What values will you pass on to your children?
6. Do you think society is losing its values?
7. How have values changed in society?
8. What is a value other people think is very important which you don’t think is
important?
9. What values did you parents pass on to you?
10. Are there any values that your parents tried to make you follow but you
weren’t good at doing?
11. How does a society’s values hold it together?
12. Some people say that poorer societies have stronger values than richer
countries. Do you agree?
13. What traditional values are not important or not necessary now?
14. How do you feel when you see someone not following the values you were
brought up with?
15. Are chores assigned to children in your family?
16. Is spanking a good way to discipline children?
17. Do your parents trust you?
Technology.

1. Is it easy to get a job after graduation in your country?

2. Should university education be free?
3. How can educators and parents promote creativity in children?
4. How would you compare the quality of education in your country to other
countries?
5. What makes a good teacher?
6. Do you prefer public or private schools?
7. Should evolution or creationism be taught at schools?
8. Do you have any funny school stories?
9. Who should be responsible for teaching sexual education to children and
teenagers?
10. Is a university degree enough in your country to get a good job?
11. Is ‘the student life’ the best time in people’s lives?
12. Should researchers at universities also be required to teach classes?
13. What is the most important subject(s) in school?
14. How does your country’s education system rate globally?
15. Who was your favorite teacher from your school days? Describe him or her.
16. Should young children be required to learn English? If so, from what age?
17. How has technology changed teaching methods?
18. What do you think of homeschooling?
19. Language development: what’s the best way to raise a bilingual child?
20. Have you ever had a problem with a bully?
21. Your son has just come home from school. He is crying because a bully at
school beat him up. What do you tell your son?
22. What are your fondest (best) memories of high school?
23. What regrets do you have? What classifications of students existed in your
high school (e.g. nerds, athletes, etc.)? Which were you part of?
24. How would you compare your high school generation to today’s generation
of teenagers?
25. Is there such thing as a dangerous book?
26. Should children be prohibited from reading certain books? Has reading
made you a better person?
27. Are girls smarter than boys?
28. Do you have any tips for giving a successful speech or presentation?
29. Is it fair to fail students at the college level?
30. Often college assignments are graded on a curve, which means scores are
adjusted based on how all the students performed. Is this fair?
31. If a student fails a class or course, does that mean the instructor has failed
in a way?
32. Do you think competition is good or bad for students?