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.
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