Importance of emotionally competent teachers
In the classroom, different emotions–such as enjoyment, anger, excitement, and boredom–are palpable from time to time. Therefore, teachers should have the knowledge of emotional information and the ability to regulate students’ as well as their own emotions. No doubt, teachers’ emotional intelligence has quite an impact on the teaching-learning process.
Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to a person’ ability to comprehend his/her own emotions and those of the people around. According to the concept of EI, a person must have self-awareness, which will ultimately enable him/her to understand his/her feelings and manage emotions accordingly.
When it comes to a teacher’s emotional intelligence, it refers to the teacher’s ability to
- Understand and regulate self-feelings, as well as the feelings of all learners in the classroom in order to make the teaching-learning process more effective.
- Encourage learners to develop an emotional state, which is conductive for study.
Why emotional intelligence is considered important for teachers?
- An emotionally competent teacher can easily motivate his/her students, thereby impacting the learning process to a large extent.
- A sad nurse can’t show empathy to his/her patient. Similarly, an impatient teacher won’t be able to help a poor student excel in academics.
- A teacher plays an instrumental role in shaping his/her students’ life. To play this role, a teacher has to be emotionally competent. Strong emotional intelligence results in a feeling of fulfillment and positivism, whereas weak EI leads to negative emotions. No doubt, a teacher filled with negative emotions cannot be an anchor for students.
- A teacher is also responsible for inculcating life skills into students. Emotionally competent teachers can act as a role model for their students. On the other hand, teachers with a tendency to regret and complain are found to be incompetent to teach the basics of life skills.
