Listening+to+others+with+understanding+and+empathy



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Sometimes we think we know all the answers and don't want to listen to what others have to say. That was my mistake when we began learning about the VESPR Theory. Vespr stands for valence shell electron pair repulsion. It is the theory of the geometric arrangements of atoms. I was already taught it last year, so I thought I understood the concept of what arrangement yields what geometric shape.

In the middle of class a classmate asked me what gives a specific number of bonds gave. I gave my answer, confident that I was right, but she looked at me funny. I started to question myself and listened to her explanation of what she thought the answer was. I began to think about it, and the concept made sense.

Listening to what others has to say with understanding and empathy is important because you can learn a great deal of knowledge from a peer. We don't always know the answers and asking other people their opinions opens up other viewpoints or approaches we might have never considered before.