Good morning friends
“So many years of education, and yet no one taught us how to love ourselves and why it is so important.” When I read these words, I was transported back in time to a very sad moment almost 40 years ago. The occasion was the prayer meeting for a classmate, a young, dynamic, highly intelligent and gifted person who had died at a very early age, he was just 21 years old when he died. The death of anyone in his prime is always extremely saddening, but this particular death was all the more tragic because it was a suicide. Everyone who heard about it was shocked.
At the prayer meeting, the Principal of our school spoke a few words. He too, was devastated by this tragedy. He said,” We have been teaching our students many lessons in school. But we have failed miserably because we have not taught them important lessons about life !”
His words are true even today, because though we have excellent schools imparting education, they are still not teaching the students how to live. Many students are high achievers in terms of academic success but when it comes to dealing with life’s challenges, they are sadly lacking. These days, Psychiatrists and other mental health professionals are finding that though these youngsters are highly intelligent, when it comes to managing their emotions, they are not up to the mark. These high achievers ( in academics ) find it difficult to face failures, they cannot handle their frustrations well, their anxiety levels are high, many of them are not just depressed but indulge in self-harm and are suicidal too.
All the educational institutions, while focusing on studies, have totally neglected the emotional aspects of their students. And that’s why, some of them fail miserably in life in spite of their sharp intellect. A good IQ or intelligence quotient is of course essential for success in life. But if a good IQ is not accompanied by a good EQ or emotional quotient, it is difficult to achieve success.
That’s why, all the educational institutions as well as parents need to be paying more attention to the emotional development of children and adolescents and not just focus on scholastic achievements. And actually, the seeds of emotional training need to be sown in early childhood. More about this some other time.
Hoping that all educational institutions grasp the importance of emotional intelligence and take steps towards this goal,
Love,
Anjali Bhatawdekar
P. S. Our youtube channel Bhatawdekars’ clinic has created various videos on how to nurture the emotional intelligence of preschoolers. Though these videos are primarily meant for parents and teachers of preschoolers, the principles hold true at any age.
The links for these videos are as follows:
English videos-
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYTn0siuWwWE9a-r_H4C0P-vp7cyxa28i
Marathi videos-
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYTn0siuWwWHqTWZGUo4_erxk3Re5B-lL
Do go through these videos, especially the ones talking about emotional development.
