Only 36% of people can “accurately recognize their emotions as they occur”. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand and manage one’s emotions. Intelligence quotient (IQ), a measure of intelligence, is often used to describe one’s ability solve problems. Emotional intelligence is as important as IQ for future success. Emotional intelligence is more desirable for hiring. The American education system focuses primarily upon IQ. But, it needs to shift towards emotional intelligence. It is essential to be able to communicate with children about emotions and teach them how to use it. Working Thesis Statement: Early childhood educators must have a strong understanding of emotional intelligence. It is essential to start teaching children early about this important topic. Education should have the tools and resources to teach early childhood children about emotion intelligence. It should also continue to teach this skill throughout high school, college, and university levels, in order to prepare students for their future career. John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey discovered emotional intelligence in 1990. In 1990, John D. Mayer (Peter Salovey) and John D. Mayer (John Salovey) discovered emotional intelligence. They called it “a form of social Intelligence that involves the ability monitor one’s emotions and feelings, to differentiate among them, then use this information for one’s thinking, and action.” Daniel Goleman, a psychologist, decided to study emotional intelligence. Goleman broken down emotional intelligence in five elements: self awareness, self regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills, and motivation. Goleman’s book Working with Emotional intelligence outlines the importance and ways to improve your ability to recognize one’s emotions. Goleman believed that “emotional intelligence” was more important than intelligence.
The French government wanted a way of determining which students would have the most trouble in school by the beginning of the 1900’s. Theodore Simon was a psychologist at the Laboratory of Experimental Psychology. He and Alfred Binet developed questions that asked for areas of attention and problem-solving that were not normally taught in schools. The Binet-Simon Scale is the first IQ-test. Simon and Binet noticed that children were able answer more difficult questions than adults. Binet believed intelligence could not be measured with a single number. One could be much more intelligent than they appear and their intelligence could increase throughout their lives. Although the IQ test was modified by Simon and Binet, it is still valid today. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, success is defined as “a positive or desired outcome.” But success can mean different things for everyone. For one person, success can be working their way to the top of a company’s CEO or raising a family. But for others, it may mean being able to achieve that goal. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, executive derailment is caused by deficiencies in emotional competence. Egon Zehnder International also found that people prefer to work with people they can relate to, and not with those who are smartest or most experienced. Many people don’t have any knowledge of emotional intelligence. Schooling is intended to give students the foundation knowledge they need to be able to choose the profession that interests them. Primary school begins at six years of age and goes through secondary school to reach the age 18-year-old mark. They may then choose to continue their education in college. The length of the college experience can vary depending on the student’s chosen field. Primary school students are taught basics in science, math, history and reading. Secondary school will build on these skills. But, they are rarely taught everyday life skills that will help them succeed in their lives. Understanding your emotions is an important skill.
According to The Guardian journal “emotional intelligence” is a key to success in learning, friendships, school and work. These skills are often the foundation for our future habits. In my survey of 18 people, 44.4% said they had never learned about emotional intelligence at school. 16.7% however, claimed they had. However, 61.1% stated that they knew about their IQ from school. Maurice Elias is a Rutgers University psychologist professor who claims that emotion intelligence is the “missing piece” in American education. It is vital that students are taught about emotional intelligence. For thirteen years, I was a Florida teacher. I learned about emotional intelligence in the eleventh grade. My school encouraged us to do activities and complete assignments that would increase our intelligence. We were encouraged to take standardized tests and achieve high scores. Surveys of students in my class, which includes 23-year-olds, revealed that 73.9% believed that their teachers never taught them anything about emotion intelligence. Only 4.3% thought that their teachers taught them. Emotions and emotional intelligence are not something we often discussed. One was never taught anything about emotional intelligence. The other four were always taught EI.
Schools encourage students to be more educated, smarter, as well as to perform well on standardized assessments. These are great accomplishments, but students need to be taught the basics of life. School assignments are often designed to raise students’ IQs. But, I believe students should also be taught about emotions intelligence. Emotional intelligence is more valuable than IQ in the workplace. CareerBuilder conducted a national survey of over 2600 human resource professionals and hiring managers. Seventy-five per cent of respondents said that emotional intelligence was more valuable than IQ when it comes to promoting employees. Schools should also be teaching students about this topic. Pre-kindergarten should begin teaching emotional intelligence. An average student spends 6,000 hours awake per year. This is in addition to the six hours that they spend at school. If schools were to spend just 30 minutes a day teaching their students emotional intelligence, they could be teaching for 183 hour a year.
“IDEAS.TED” states that children are taught to hide emotions. However, it is important to teach them how to express their emotions from a young age. One hundred percent of 18 respondents to a survey I did suggested that schools should teach emotional intelligence. It is easier for children to express themselves emotionally when they are young. Tamara Beaudry (a 21-year-old educator, daycare owner and teacher) stated that she believes young kids should be taught emotional intelligence. She stated that the early years should focus on emotional intelligence and not IQ. IQ comes later. Learning in the early years should be play-based. Children need to be emotionally and socially aware to succeed throughout schooling and life. Emotional intelligence-based learning should be integrated into schools’ curriculums. This will allow students to express their emotions better and understand others. After students have a solid foundation of emotional intelligence, they will be able to start learning about their IQ as well as expand upon these platforms. To ensure that educators and students of all ages can learn about emotional intelligence, they should continue to do so throughout their primary, secondary, as well as college years. Students will gain a strong grasp on emotional intelligence and IQ so that they can teach future generations. A kindergarten teacher is someone who works with children from birth to kindergarten. Teaching is most effective at this age. Young children learn important facts and skills that will be useful throughout their lives.
Johns Hopkins University claims that “the vast majority of the brain’s neurons are developed between birth to three years old.” Therefore, educators must have a solid understanding of emotional intelligence to help children learn. Educators in early childhood have to learn about emotional intelligence and be able, with the help of their students, to understand how the children feel. Being a good early childhood educator requires the ability to understand a child’s situation and to determine the best course of action. She also spoke with Tamara Beaudry about how emotional intelligence is used in early childhood education. She said that she is “attached” to the children and that they are her favorite. I try my best to help them manage their emotions. I try to show compassion and love on them. Teaching children all day will not make a difference to their lives. They might be smarter than their peers but may have poor social skills. Early Childhood Today is a Scholastic affiliate that interviewed Daniel Goleman.
Goleman was asked what educators needed to excel in emotional intelligence. Goleman said that teachers need to feel comfortable discussing their feelings. This is part teaching emotional literacy. Children must understand that emotions can be experienced in all situations. However, not all reactions are acceptable. Early childhood educators need emotional intelligence to succeed. The ability to model emotional intelligence to students is a must for educators. Teachers should show empathy and compassion towards students.
ConclusionEmotional intelligence is far more important than IQ for early childhood educators. American education currently places emphasis on increasing students’ intelligence. Emotional intelligence-based learning should be integrated into education curriculums. It will help students succeed in their future endeavors. In order to educate the next generation of educators in early childhood, they must be trained in emotional intelligence. It is possible to reduce the number of people who can’t identify their emotions to 36% by making simple changes in America’s education system.
