And so it continues....

I chose a blog as my avenue for this project because I thought it served multiple purposes and could be used in a classroom for students of all ages. In class discussions, we've talked about the procs and cons of journaling and giving feedback...I thought a blog represents this idea in a form that would not only be different from a regular notebook, but also allow the students to reflect back on other people's writing. Students with blogs have the capabilities of making them public or private, and can therefore allow access to their peers/parents/teachers if they feel like it.

Blogs also can serve as a great means of collecting student work. A blog can servfe as a sort of portfolio and can be used to copy and paste student writings. This way, parents, students and teachers alike can have access and see a child's growht throughout the year/semester.


All the information about emotional literacy in thsi blog was obtained from Familylinks.org and all images (assuming they work) are from google images.

So I'm emo-lit, now what? Uses for the future...

Based on the steps from Family Links, I can be considered emotionally literate. I am able to recognize the emotions in myself as well as those around me. I can empathize, I can feel, and I can admit it. Pretty much, I've become THAT girl that I never wanted to be. Now at least, I have the words to explain why I act the way I do--it's not that I'm emotional for no reason, it's just that I'm emotionally literate. Fair enough. I like that. Makes me sound a lot less dramatic and a lot more like I have some sort of grasp on my emotions.

The process of becoming emotionally literate was not only important for my research but also to get to know myself. I have grown to understand what I am feeling and recognize that although it may seem out of whack at the time, my feelings and emotions are important and to ignore them means I am ignoring a part of myself.

In order to teacher emotional literature, teachers must understand where students come from. All students have a story, and therefore will react to certain situations differently. Books and historical events will ignite different emotions in students and teachers must be aware of it. It is imperative to know that one reaction one year will not elicit the same reaction the following year. Emotions change and so do the students, so every day and every year plans must be adapted. Emotions often have a life of their own, and teachers and students alike must be able to empathize with their peers and realize where everyone is coming from. Teachers can use journals (like this blog) as a way of tapping into how a student feels so they can know where the student is coming from at a given point. Allowing students to open up in a place where they feel safe will not only create a better, safer environment for the students, but also allow the teacher to get a better look into his/her students. Starting the day with an activity with the basic "I Feel..." also is a good way to see where a student is at a given point. If the teacher is open with his/her feelings every morning, ("I feel anxious, but am excited to see how the lessons go today) will allow the students to open up as well. Basic, "I feel sad" statements will give the teacher great insight into the student on a daily basis.

I know how you feel...

Growing up, my parents were my best friends. Somehow, most likely because I wasn't very good at hiding my emotions, my parents always knew what I was feeling. They were empathetic. They were able to recognize my feelings and do everything they could to fix it. If I was sad, my dad would cook me my favorite dinner. When I was happy, my parents would want to know all the details. I was lucky that way, I learned from my parents how to empathize with other people by empathizing with me. According to Family Links, "children who are treated with empathy and respect will grow up to empathetic and respectful toward others."

I really do take pride in this characteristic about myself. I know I'm a good friend. People talk to me about their problems on a regular basis and I really feel like I can relate to them, even if I haven't experienced the problem in reality. Friends feel like they can confide in me, and I really am proud of that. I love being the person people feel like they can talk to and open up to, and I hope that I can pass that trait down to my own children like my parents did with me.

Of all the steps to being emotionally literate, Recognizing the emotions of others is the one that I am the most comfortable with. I know that I can empathize and take care of my friends and I can see the emotions in other people. I know that this area of being emotionally literate is fulfilled and I use it on an everyday basis.

Motivating myself...

Motivation: Seems to be what I've been lacking all semester. When I'm unmotivated in school, there's a name for it...Senioritis. When I'm unmotivated to discover and be accountable for my emotions, that's called...Impossible.

According to Family Links, in order to achieve our goals we must be able to harness our emotions. I must be able to put all my feelings into context if I want to succeed. Makes sense. I get it. If I want to succeed, I must be able to recognize my feelings, put them aside and then go for it. Of all the steps thus far, this seems to be the one I understand the most. It's the area in which I'm living with and dealing with now.

I'm graduating (CRAZY!). Things and assignments seem to be popping up left and right, and I'm struggling with the idea of actually getting it all done in the next five weeks. I'm trying to balance getting my school work done with enjoying myself, this is the only time in my life I will have the opportunities that I have to have fun and be with my friends, so I'm trying to enjoy it. There is just so much though. So much school work, so much work work, and so much other stuff. It's really overwhelming and almost impossible to handle.

My friends and family often laugh at me because my planner is my life. I write everything down--it's the only way to handle all the stresses of my life. When I can lay it out and see how I can get from day to day without killing myself it all seems much more bearable. This is the way I handle my stress, and therefore my emotions. Stress for me turns into anxiety, which turns into tears. It seems to be the basis of all my issues. So when I write everything down and put it in a context I am able to handle it better.

Step 3 of handling my emotions is the most necessary, but also what I can handle the most. I'm good at it, as long as I can see the bigger picture and realize that although I'm stressed out now, in 5 weeks it'll all be over and I'll want to be back. So, as I sit in class, trying to keep my head afloat, I must remember to take a breath, write it down and stay calm. It'll all work out--we are all going through the same crazinesses.

Manage my emotions? I can't even manage my life right now!

So, I think I'm making steps in the right direction. Yesterday, I recognized how embarrassed situations make me feel, and really believe that saying "I feel embarrassed" is possible now. Rather than ducking my head and running away when other people embarrass themselves, I think now I can face the situation head on and at least recognize when I am in a situation that is going to cause me embarrassment. That being said, I still feel like I have a long way to go before I can be considered completely emotional literate..it's probably even a lifetime process, but for now, ON TO STEP 2...

Step 2: Managing our emotions

According to familylinks.org if you are able to manage your own emotions, you are able to build on your own awareness of them. Clearly, the next step in the process. But let's be real, how do I learn to manage my own emotions when I am struggling to manage my life right now??

Apparently "every feeling has it's value and it's importance." I guess that means that every time I'm angry "for no reason" there really is a reason behind it. Hm...I suppose that explains a lot. I find myself getting annoyed at a certain situation, blowing it off and then blaming something completely irrelevant on my boyfriend. Poor guy, he goes through too much. He'll ask me what's wrong, I'll say nothing and just grow more and more annoyed at a situation. Little does he know that 99.9% of the time my annoyance has nothing to do with him. Most likely, it has to do with a lack of sleep or the stupid kid that cut me in line while at Tasty Twist the other night...GOD, that gets under my skin.

I suppose to really manage my emotions, I must recognize when I am feeling a certain way and be sure to either deal with it or not. I can't keep holding on to how mad I am if I'm not going to anything to fix it. That's just not fair--to me or to my poor boyfriend. I'll start making the effort to man up and take my emotions like a (wo)man. However, all that being said, I have to be sure not to brush everything off too much. Every emotion has it's purpose. It's just up to me to decide what that is and who's going to deal with the repercussions of it.

So, for the rest of the day, when someone cuts me off on the street, I'll let them know. (Wish me luck). Or when a friend makes me really happy, I'll make sure they know. Or when someone does something that should be really embarrassed about, I'll tell them. (Even if it's silently to myself or an understanding friend). But my goal will be to not take any annoyances or angers I have at some situation out on other people...I think my boyfriend will appreciate that.

Let the Journey Begin...

Today, at 9:15, I have officially begun the journey toward become emotionally literate...you know, getting in touch with my feelings. YIKES!!! I've gone to shrinks before, tried to share with them how I feel about certain issues--MASSIVE FAILURE. I ended up being so mad about her prying into my life, that instead of feeling relieved, I was more annoyed than ever. My life--my business.

Focus for the day: Knowing my emotions

I went to bed, embarrassed. I had watched "Dancing with the Stars" and found my self putting my head down whenever an awkward situation or embarrassing moment occurred. Same thing happens when I'm in movies...Meet the Parents always makes me cringe. I hate watching people doing things that they'll regret in the morning, and when I see people making a fool out of themselves, in real-life or on TV, I feel so embarrassed. Thank God, I haven't had to put myself in any of those situations. It's weird though, I don't embarrass myself too easily. I can dance like a fool at Ricks, make stupid jokes that no one laughs about, stand up in public, and all in all do things that if I had seen on TV would make me cringe.

I am aware when embarrassment occurs. I know that I am embarrassed. I feel my cheeks turn red and put my head down. I know I'm uncomfortable. I suppose that in order to truly know my feelings though, I must need to know how to deal with it. Sure, the easiest option would be to stay away from reality shows that embarrass celebrities or movies full of awkward situation. But I don't think that's realistic, I LOVE MOVIES AND REALITY SHOWS. I just think I need to face it head on. Watch and learn and watch and deal. I feel bad for poor Kate Gosselin, looking so out of her element, but I have to remember, she put her self in that situation, her fault, not mine.

I can't be THAT girl, can I?

I'll admit: I cry in movies all the time. There's just something about a touching story that really gets to me. My boyfriend also says I'm really emotional. He may be right, I can't hold a deep conversation without bursting out into tears (believe it or not, I cried in the middle of Hall of Fame restaurant because I missed home so much). While I admit that my inability to hold a conversation without breaking down has it's perks, I never want to be considered that "emotional girl." Lets be real, no one wants to be that girl. That girl cries all the time, overreacts to every situation and wears her heart on her sleeve. To be fair, bits and pieces of that girl are part of my personality, but sheesh, I can't be her completely, can I?

Despite my better judgment, I decided to take the "emotional literacy quiz" . The questions called for simple answers, but I found myself trying to change the answers. Again, I cant be that girl! But going through the questions, all my responses were "sometimes" or "often" and I began to have an epiphany. Maybe I am more emotional than I really want to admit. Maybe I really am that girl.

According to Family Links being emotionally literate means knowing/managing your own emotions, motivating ourselves, and recognizing emotions in other people. When put that way, it doesn't sound too bad to be literate after all. I think those characteristics make me the person I am. I pride myself on the ability to recognize when my friends are upset and doing what I can to ease their pain. Likewise, I consider myself highly motivated when I am interested in a subject. The only characteristic I think needs improvement would be managing my emotions. I often let my anger, frustration and bitterness take over and I realize that this is damaging to myself and those around me.

The rest of this blog will explore my progress over a week's time as I do my best to become more emotionally literate. I will pay closer attention to my own feelings and document them. At the end of the week (on March 29th) I will give myself a fair assessment and decide whether or not I really am emotionally literate, and therefore THAT girl.