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It is said; Learning happens in the mother’s womb before a child is born. Once the child is born, his learning happens through his experiences. The child keeps learning from his near and dear and also from his surroundings right from the cradle to a toddler to a playful child.

The child is now a school going child where he comes across all new faces. Trying to find the same care that he experiences at home. Here is the role of a school as a second home to a child and the teacher as the second mother. Children come across many friends and have a joyful time of learning through fun.

The teachers enlight the life of the children and illuminate their world with the light of knowledge. So, school is known as “Temple of Knowledge”.

The major chunk of children’s time is spent in the schools, that is the reason schools are considered to be the second home for them.

The behaviour and thinking process of the kids is totally dependent on the learning that takes place in the schools. Schools build a strong foundation of knowledge and wisdom for children. Every parent gets tensed and worried while sending their child to the schools for the first time. But eventually, the child becomes habitual to the school environment and the overall process of schooling or education becomes easy.

As time flows classmates & playmates become like family. As they interact more children get to know about everybody’s nature and families together. This process makes them attached to the school and it becomes their second home.

My second home is truly my school, 

the place where we feel, we own the rule!

Though a home is incomplete without your mother, 

coz she can’t be replaced by any other.

Tough a home is incomplete without your father, 

coz your family feels not to be that stronger!

That’s why we’re gifted with TEACHERS, 

who look after us without any terms & conditions.

-Juhi Jahnvi.

How to cultivate emotional intelligence in children!

For children to become individuals with well-rounded personalities, they require emotional intelligence. Though traditionally the focus has been on IQ, today EQ is truly the essential quotient. Let me tell you how important EQ is with an example.

Reena, a 16-year-old, has been a class topper right from grade 1 in all subjects. ‘Genius’, ‘Brilliant’, ‘Mastermind’, ‘Brainy’ – she is so used to being addressed thus by family and peers. Today, Reena is one of the contenders for the post of President in the Students Council Elections in her school. She is quite confident of winning the elections. However, the results have come as a big surprise. Reena has lost. Her rival, Zarina has won by a huge margin. Reena stunned.

Twenty-two years later…

The Medical Council Elections have just been conducted. Dr.Reena, the Chief Medical Officer at a multi-specialty hospital, is one of the contestants for the post of secretary. She stands with a proud tilt of her chin. The name tag on her medico’s coat proclaims flattering qualifications. The results are announced. Reena is once again stunned. She has lost-to the same rival Zarina, Head of Physiotherapy Department in a leading hospital.

So, what went wrong for Reena? Let’s analyse the personalities of Reena and Zarina to understand better.

Reena: High intelligence, singular focus on academics and career, high achiever, loner, poor people skills, insensitive to other’s feelings, generally grumpy, snapping at other often, frequent outbursts of emotion, not liked by peers.

Zarina: Average intelligence, above average achiever in academics, active participation in extra-curricular activities, friendly with all, pleasant countenance and manners, kind, controlled emotions, popular among peers.

Reena is a typical example that intelligence alone is not enough to succeed in life. Though is may appear to be enough for climbing up the professional ladder, as far as wholesome success is concerned, something more is required.

That ‘something more’ is EQ. It can be developed. While nature has a greater influence on IQ, nurture has a great influence on EQ.

Parents thus have a great responsibility on their shoulders to make their children emotionally intelligent for the future. Gone are the days when children used to live in joint families and learnt a lot without much attention from their parents. Now, they live in nuclear families with mostly working parents. So, taking good care of the children becomes all the more important for parents. I give below some ways for parents to help make their children emotionally smart and intelligent.

Regulate your own emotions

Parents should be role models while dealing with their emotions because children learn a lot through observation. Parents’ positive behaviour helps the children to regulate their emotions and adopt the right way to deal with their emotional disorders.

Be patient listener:

All the children want to be heard carefully irrespective of their age. When children don’t get a chance to express themselves, the emotions get bottled up inside and, then children have temper tantrums. Parents need to give all ears whenever they find their children ready to share something.

Be Observant:

 Apart from being patient, parents should be vigilant to any behavioural change in their children. In case of a behavioural change, either the child is not willing to express or is unable to explain the challenge that he/she is facing. Here, brain storming can be a useful tool to see how their children behave in a difficult situation, to find an opening to solve their problem. It would boost their confidence level.

Have an Empathetic Heart:

At times, even empathizing with the children is an effective solution when the situation is not very grave. This help to relax and soothes their nerves when they are struggling. Gradually, children develop this emotion of empathy as they receive it from others. Children thus find to pacify themselves.

Avoid Suppression:

Children may develop emotions which lead to fear. Parents should, by no means suppress such emotions or feelings tagging them as either unacceptable or shameful.

Spending quality time with your children in the above-mentioned ways, will bring about emotional stability in them and help develop emotional intelligence.

I strongly believe that “The job of a teacher is to inspire, to challenge, to excite their students to want to learn…”

If we can’t inspire the students in our class room, we are simply not doing our job. If we are unable to challenge them with tasks that provoke them to think, to reflect and to grow, we are still not doing our job. And if we are unable to excite in our students a desire to learn, to ignite a passion and love of learning, then learning will just not happen.

These words are said, very passionately, in a powerful video released in 2014.

This will revolutionize education

The words spoken are impassioned and exciting. The style is slick and captivating. But for me, the standout comments come toward the end of the video, when the important role of the teacher is highlighted.

“The fundamental role of a teacher is not to deliver information, instead it is to guide the social process of learning…”

“The most important thing a teacher does is make every student feel like they are important, to make them feel accountable for doing the work of learning…”