EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify, assess and control the

emotions of oneself, of others and of groups. Emotional intelligence is crucial
in order to achieve success in lives and careers. It helps in building stronger
relationships at home or in the work force. Emotional intelligence is vital for
academic performance .Studies have found that children as young as
preschoolers who had been exposed to even a single year of SEL social
emotional learning program, continued to perform better as compared to
those children who didnt. These kids learned to take responsibility of their
actions/words instead of blaming others. The purpose of SEL is not to elide
emotions but to channelize them in the right direction. Emotions can either
enhance a childs academic performance or hinder his/her ability to learn.
Emotional skills are not something that develops overnight. It takes a lot of
practice and therefore should start from an early age. Starting from KG,
children should learn to be able to locate themselves each day on the mood
meter, questions like how, what and why they feel certain emotions and
how to manage them. The goal is to develop a childs capacity to self reflect
and critical thinking. Teachers can help a great deal in achieving this, by
changing how students behave and learn by creating an environment that is
caring, engaged and respectful. Showing by example and guiding children by
practicing emotional intelligence themselves. Values like respect, honesty,
justice and compassion. Emotional intelligence needs to be embraced not
just by children /students but by teachers and parents too. In the words of

Mark Greenburg,Put your own mask on before you put your childs on. You
have to help yourself first.Characteristics /values like taking responsibility,
being compassionate, self awareness and decision making will help children
in all spheres of their lives. Some of the main benefits of inculcating and help
in developing SEL skills as a parent and teacher are:

Better academic performance.

Reducing violence (e.g.no more bullying) and learning to live in

harmony with others.

Building stronger bonds and relationships.
And the most important one would be being a happy, contented
person.

Emotional intelligence skills should be taught and given great importance in

schools as well as by parents /families to prevent misery in childhood and
eventually adulthood too.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT

Emotional Intelligence is more than ones IQ level. For a child to master
empathy, he/she has to first understand his/her own emotions, its causes
and intensity. The different feelings we experience and the moods we have
all are controlled by the emotional side of the brain. The ability to make good
decisions we need to balance our emotions. Empathy and motivation are
two very important characteristics that are required in any field today .The
five key skills to develop emotional intelligence are: the ability to reduce
stress, the ability to recognize emotions, being able to manage them,
communication and humor and play.
Emotional Intelligence plays a major role in order to maintain a
smooth, productive and healthy environment in a classroom. Behavioral
development of the class can easily disrupt and break the momentum in a
classroom. The secret to effective discipline is communication and building
strong relationships with the students. Not by punishing and reacting
negatively to student behavior. Emotional skills are vital for academic
performance and in order to maintain discipline in a classroom. The following
are some pointers that can facilitate in schools if implemented by the
teachers:
-Following classroom rules and regulations from the beginning of the year.
-Being consistent about expectations- keeps the communication going with
the students and parents too.

-Reinforcing appropriate behavior- kids need to be able to trust the teacher

and feel safe with her/him.
-Be neutral and not accusatory- teacher should not be biased and not favor
any particular student.
-Student Dignity-Teacher should not make a big deal or discuss the problem
in front of other children.
- Always look for the cause of problem/situation.