Role of Emotionally Intelligent Teachers and educational system

ByProf. Ajmal Dass Jaipal May 13, 2021

This dynamic and challenging world requires emotionally intelligent teachers because teacher is the builder of humanity. Along with this, teacher is considered the spiritual and emotional leader of the students. He teaches the students not only how to read and write but also how to behave and earn name and fame in the world. He shapes the character of learners.

Emotionally intelligent teachers can guide far better than that teacher who doesn’t have knowledge and application of the emotional intelligence.

What is emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to comprehend our own emotions and of those who are around us. The vision of emotional intelligence demands that we must possess self-awareness which enables us to diagnose feelings and manage our emotions. Its popularity is connected with the great success of Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence, Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, in 1995. It deals emotions, so, first we try to understand and observe about emotions.

Emotions

Emotions are feelings or felt-tendencies which are like tides in the ocean. There is no stop as one tide follows another in an unending way. Its power and strength is unpredictable, sometimes, it happens that it may take us along. We must be aware of our negative emotions that may affect our normal life. It is good idea to know that emotional assessment is fair judgment and affects others.

Evaluating emotionally intelligent teachers

As a teacher, if we evaluate our own state of emotional Intelligence, we should examine the following questions.

Is there any sign of drawback in us to demonstrate emotions?
Can we not feel, analyze and use our own emotions while teaching?
Could we not sense, measure and use the emotions of our students and colleagues?
Is our emotional health not linked to working environment and performance?
Are there any signs of emotion that may cause trouble with the most important relationships in life which are with our life partner?

If the answer of these above questions is yes, it shows that we are emotionally unripe.

Evaluating emotionally intelligent teachers

The world, in which we exist, does not bear a fragile. It is a fact that we can’t change the past because it is wastage of time to go back to the childhood events and examine childhood experiences every time. The people, who have high self-esteem, focus on their positive traits and are not obsessed with their negative features.

It is suitable to decline irrational and unlikable thoughts and emotions.

Additionally, it is superb idea for the teachers to look at Goleman’s grand aspects of emotional intelligence to understand the essence of emotional intelligence for teachers.

Daniel Goleman sums up emotional intelligence into the following mechanism:

Emotional self-awareness
Managing one’s own emotions
Using emotions to maximize intellectual processing and decision-making, including self-motivation
Developing empathy is the art of social relationships and managing emotions in others.

Importance of emotionally intelligent teachers

The reason behind why emotional intelligence (EI) is important for teachers is that it influences what we do. It is common observation that a depressing designer can’t design beautiful portrait. An annoyed nurse can’t show her empathy to ill patient. In the same way, unpleasing facial gesticulation of teacher de-motivates students.

Just by observing our facial expressions, students may understand how we feel. It decides our way of life.

It is worth mentioning that employment satisfaction of teachers depends on their emotional intelligence which gives them the title of emotionally intelligent teachers. It assists to show emotions aptly instead of overlooking them.

Escaping from problem is not solution to the problem. Instead, we should act in response naturally and try to find the root cause of that problem. If a person starts using drugs in order to hide his frustration, it increases more pain to his life. It is better for him to get confidence and adopt such a way to prevail over it.

Emotional intelligence in Higher Educational Institutions (HEI)

The education is entirely qualitative by its nature, it can’t be expressed in terms of quantities, but there is a possibility of setting system and procedure to ensure and bring quality in educational settings.

It is an admitted fact that the teachers are considered as a central point to ensure quality in education; the quality of teachers can affect quality of teaching and learning environment. An effective classroom management develops healthy relationship between students and teachers, and motivates students to learn. Ultimately, effective education can be made reality by emotionally intelligent teachers.

Researches show that emotionally intelligent teachers get good results and it is apparent that students are much motivated by specific teachers’ behaviors, personalities and skills. The students easily identify, recognize their goals and start working to achieve high level success.

In research studies, it has been proved that EI or EQ of emotionally intelligent teachers is ranked first as a major motivating factor for learning.

Emotional intelligence in Higher Educational Institutions (HEI)

As a whole the emotional skills, behaviors and personality characteristics of teachers have great impact on students to be successful and desiring learners. Further teachers’ empathy, anger, interest, stress etc.., are taken significant by majority of students, especially female students.

The students love to attend the classes of teachers with soft nature, and also, they find that subject is interesting for them to learn. Contrary to it, the students are unhappy with negative approaches in educational settings.

In a nutshell

Emotional intelligence for teachers plays the role of backbone to make educational system significant and effective for learners of every level. When a teacher knows her own emotions, she uses those emotions to improve her moods and teaching. In the same way, knowing the emotional level of students helps a teacher to understand and connect them in the best possible way.