Sharing trauma is hard. It is hard to be vulnerable and hope that the person one is sharing with is able to listen and understand the experience. It is hard to listen to someone expose a wound in their life and to maturely respond to it. It is hard to share and connect on an intimate level between individuals, but it is much harder to see your story watered down to be easily … [Read more...] about Don’t Water It Down: Hard Stories Deserve to be Heard
empathy
Encounter Different Perspectives
Art by Ally ArmstrongIn today's world, disagreements are not hard to come by. The "United" States of America seems to be more of a sentiment of the past than a reality of today. Conflict is exhausting, and it is tempting to insulate oneself from disagreement simply for the sake of sanity.There is a growing need, however, for people to do exactly the opposite of what this urge … [Read more...] about Encounter Different Perspectives
Pepperdine Faculty Member Promotes Inclusion with New Children’s Book
Madeleine Sherak teaches children the importance of empathy in her book, "Superheroes Club."Sherak is a Pepperdine University student-teacher education field supervisor who oversees and offers guidance to students teaching kindergarten through 12th grade as part of their majors. She tackles themes of empathy and acceptance in her children's book, "Superheroes Club." The book … [Read more...] about Pepperdine Faculty Member Promotes Inclusion with New Children’s Book
Learn to Listen
Graphic by Nate Barton Listening is an important skill that creates understanding among people and shows that they matter. Every person should learn to listen effectively as it will improve the quality of their relationships with others and make them more desirable to work with in classrooms and in future careers. A person shows they care by listening to others. By … [Read more...] about Learn to Listen
Appreciate Fiction
Graphic by Nate BartonA few professors in the Creative Writing department start their first class meetings with a very important question: “Why does fiction matter?” People might understand that fiction is important, but it is harder to pinpoint exactly why it is so significant. Fiction strengthens people’s worlds by distributing information, common … [Read more...] about Appreciate Fiction