Fortunately, emotional education is becoming more and more present in school life, although the road ahead is still long. We can already see educational centers where their study programs already include some emotional education subject, and some others more timidly as an extracurricular activity.
But it still needs to be recognized for its importance. Education has always given more priority to the cognitive issue, leaving aside the affective, as if it were unimportant. Today we know all the benefits of educating in emotional intelligence and control of emotions in the little ones.
Benefits of emotional education
El goal of emotional education is provide the tools and knowledge in emotions both own and others. This would give us what we need to recognize and manage our own emotions, help us in making decisions, improve our empathy, promote self-motivation, improve self-esteem and cooperation. It reduces anxiety and stress levels, prevents many problems and conflicts of an emotional nature, and provides us with the resources to help us deal with problems.
These skills are necessary in our life to develop in an adequate way and prevent possible psychological disorders (depression, anxiety, risk behaviors, addictions, aggressiveness, school failure ...).
The sooner we start educating children in emotional education, the better results we will have and avoid many problems when they reach the dreaded age of adolescence. They are social needs that are as or more important than subjects like history or science.
In some European countries they already have more widely implemented emotional education programs with more than visible success both in the short and long term. Emotional intelligence is more important than academic intelligence to achieve well-being and success in all spheres of our lives.
Emotional education: predictor of success in life
Before it was thought that to be a successful person in life you had to have a high IQ or a lot of studies. It is known by all that our emotional state affects all areas of our life. Currently we know that to achieve well-being in our social, personal, work and family life, we need skills to manage our emotions.
Fortunately, we are increasingly aware of the importance of emotional management for greater physical and mental well-being. That is why schools, responding to these demands, must assume this process and integrate academic and emotional education in their classrooms.
The family is the first place where children's emotional learning takes place, and then in school, which is where they will spend the most time after home. In schools there should be a comprehensive education: both in academic intelligence and emotional intelligence. For this it is necessary that both current and future teachers are well trained in emotional intelligence.
In addition to helping them to manage incidents that occur in class in a satisfactory way and to prevent stress, it allows them to have the necessary skills to teach how to manage children's emotions. To achieve this, families can also be included in workshops to also provide them with tools to implement at home.
Latest Research
In the latest research both in Europe and in the United States, about the effect of teaching emotional education techniques, they obtained fantastic results. It was found that its positive effects were not only immediate but also continued some time later. And not only in his social and family life, but also in his school life. They learned to manage the anxiety caused by the exams, they even improved their grades.
Drug use and behavior problems among adolescents who participated in emotional management programs decreased 6% compared to another test group; and 13,5% lower in psychological disorders.
Why remember ... only with a proper emotional education we will achieve healthy adults, balanced, with social and emotional competencies, more successful and happier.