How many of us wish we were taught about our emotions in school? I am raising both hands.
“People who are emotionally skilled perform better in school, have better relationships, and engage less frequently in unhealthy behaviors.”
(Grace Rubenstein)
Too often in society, we hear things like, “Big girls don’t cry,” “It was just a game,” “It’s no big deal,” “Something like this shouldn’t upset you,” or “Boys don’t cry.” These phrases teach kids to compartmentalize and invalidate feelings instead of allowing them to deal with them head-on.
Have you wondered, how different would it be if we help kids define their emotions and help them understand the root of the cause, instead of teaching them to “snap out of it”?
Have you thought, what if we teach our children what emotions mean, so they can feel them on their own and identify what makes them happy, what makes them angry, and even what makes them sad.
By understanding emotions, kids can identify the extreme sides of feelings. Words such as ‘elated,’ or ‘upset,”’ and even ‘depressed’ go deeper once understood. For instance, ‘Elated’ is a much stronger emotion than just happiness because it goes past regular happy feelings. It is excited and happy and giddy all in one. ‘Upset’ or ‘depressed’ encapsulate more than just the typical sadness or anger because these words hold more weight. They are reserved for when you are feeling more than just any one emotion, but are feeling it to an extreme.
At Project Be You, we teach our students about their emotions and what they mean. We want them to be able to express themselves properly in their everyday lives and beyond.
We allow our children to feel so there is no need to hide the way they are feeling because it only makes them feel alone. Our students feel understood because they understand their own feelings. They are able to set boundaries and respect others, thus creating meaningful relationships and connections.
- Used to help writing this article:
http://ideas.ted.com/should-emotions-be-taught-in-schools/ – Grace Rubenstein