Socio-Emotional Development
If life were a painting, I am the artist, knowledge is the elements, and emotions are my ink.
I was 15 when I realized that my emotions were becoming a handicap; I felt too strongly about things that it deviated me from reason. For so long, I've regarded my emotions as something of a shortcoming.
This module made me realize otherwise. There is nothing wrong with feeling extreme emotions. There is nothing wrong with feeling. After all, this is what makes us human. Just like any other school of thought, we need to understand emotions, as well. People need to know how to manage them properly as it is vital to their individual development, which was what I didn't get to do when I was younger.
As a local in Tondo, Manila, I grew up in a community where poverty is prevalent and survival is people's primary goal. People around me didn't have much chance or time to learn how emotions are ought to be managed because they were busy trying to put food on their tables.
This is the consensus, and this is what I picked up over my entire childhood: Success is graduating from a reputable university, getting a well-paying job, and building my own family. Even members of my household were oblivious or didn't care enough for the importance emotional management holds in our everyday lives. Consequently, I wasn't aware of emotions as something to be regarded and dealt with rationally until adolescence.
Today, I understood how crucial socio-emotional learning is. Every child deserves to explore their emotional aspect as much as they need to learn arts and sciences. Emotions are much more involved in our everyday lives than we think. Emotions influence our decisions, and our choices today dictate how our lives will turn out in the future. When a child takes the chance to learn to manage their emotions, they will have better decision-making skills. Isn't that what we need to know how to "win" in life?
Silly me, my emotions weren't my enemy. They are a part of me and trying to teach me something I won't from elsewhere.
