‘I signed up to this course to help the children I teach improve their emotional intelligence and ended up helping myself and my family! Thank you.’
Five colleagues at one school began the Foundation Award course to learn new skills to support the children they teach but they were surprised at how much their learning helped themselves and their own families. With their permission, we have published some of their personal reflections below.
'I have been getting better at Assertive Bargaining rather than using Passive Bargaining. I have learnt that my values and needs matter and are important. I have a voice that needs to be heard, and saying what I think will not drown out others’ voices. This in turn has helped boost my confidence. While these are baby steps, they are steps in the right direction for me.'
'The way I feel about all the different emotions has changed. I used to think anger was a bad way to feel but now I know it’s not and when I do feel angry I think about the cards and how I can change things. I feel a lot calmer in ways I deal with things as well.'
'I have even used it with my children at home when they are sad about certain situations! Sitting with them, breaking it down and looking at our losses and how we could try and recover some of them.'
'Since doing the training I try harder to hold my tongue and not express my annoyance immediately. I talk to myself in my head and try to see the other person’s point of view. I also explore my values/losses to try to understand why I am upset. Often I decide that the loss is very small compared to the secondary losses I would incur if I got angry. I calm down quite quickly and can accept the small loss or if I think it is important enough I bargain calmly.'
'I am learning to question, rather than challenge! I pause to reflect on what I have been told and how I feel, rather than react. I feel more calmer and more in control of myself again. Thank you.'
'I’m now more aware and more patient with situations. When I give someone the chance to say sorry or listen to their point of view, my annoyed feelings almost always disappear and I am relieved that I didn’t get angry.'
A huge thank you to the wonderful team who have allowed us to share part of their personal stories in this blog. If you have any friends or colleagues who are struggling at school we can help. Contact us today.