05/11/18
Whilst on playground duty last week I watched as some boys were throwing the rugby ball to each other. At one point one boy misplaced his pass and the ball hit another child on the head. I began to walk over to see if the boy was okay (I should point out that he was fine). The boy that had been hit by the ball was completely unaware of who did it. I watched as the boy who threw the ball walked over to the child that had been hit and admitted that he had hit him with the ball. He then asked if was okay. He had genuine concern in his face as he did this. It made me extremely proud. The boy who had misplaced the pass did not realise that I was watching. He had no reason the check the boy’s welfare other than a genuine concern for him.
We have been promoting emotional intelligence in school. Emotional intelligence includes the recognition of emotions in oneself and in others, how to manage those emotions and therefore how to show empathy. This event made me proud because it proved that what we are doing in this area is working. I can name several other instances exhibiting similar success in this area.
Emotional intelligence is important not just to live in an empathetic, tolerant environment but it is also important in the work arena. The World Economic Forum have completed a list of the top ten skills valued by employers in 2020 and beyond. Emotional intelligence is one of those ten skills. It seems that we are preparing the children well for their future careers.
