Emotional Education and the Importance of Its Incorporation into the Educational System

Currently, we are dominated by an educational system that, over the years and centuries, has become obsolete and gradually lost its usefulness. It has failed to evolve alongside society and to leverage scientific discoveries to renew and adjust its methods and practices. For this reason, it is crucial to question and reflect on its consequences for society in general and its participants to identify what is lacking in this traditional model in its application. We often ask ourselves: Does this institution truly shape us as individuals and prepare us for life? Specifically, we are interested in using categories from Supercomplex Knowledge to uncover these deficiencies in school systems and design concrete alternatives to include emotional education as a strategy to enhance them and foster the growth and development of their actors. For example, some notable characteristics observed in students' behaviors are products of contemporary society, such as the constant and increasing aggression in interactions among individuals and the high levels of anxiety and distress generated by daily life. From an early age, individuals are subjected to these conditions. 

Countries like Spain, the United States, Singapore, and Finland incorporate emotional education in ways that reflect their cultural values and educational priorities, ensuring that students not only acquire academic knowledge but also develop crucial emotional and social skills for their adult lives.

Despite this, many school systems remain based on rote learning, far from encouraging curiosity and reflection in students or fostering meaningful and conscious learning. It is also important to consider how these systems often affect our core beliefs about ourselves, creating a certain dependence on meeting the system's expectations or adapting to it. Those who fail to do so often feel they have failed, are worthless, will achieve nothing in life, or are incapable of progressing, thus determining and diminishing their self-worth. This impacts their self-concept and self-esteem and, consequently, their emotions. This raises the question of whether the need for the inclusion of emotional education in school programs and practices is essentially a reparative obligation of the system to address the harm it causes to students.

This issue affects us all, leading to a low tolerance for frustration. For this reason, I believe it is necessary and extremely important to consider incorporating an emotional education program in classrooms from an early age. This program should be dynamic, evolutionary, and adaptive, addressing the realities of each community.   

The program will provide various knowledge and techniques for children to work on recognizing and accepting all their emotions, understanding that none are bad and that all are relevant and necessary because they provide information, drive adaptive behaviors, and inform others to encourage desired responses. Additionally, they will learn different ways to manage and express their emotions assertively, giving them the attention and importance they deserve without harming anyone in the process.

It is important to note that this program should not only be maintained at the preschool or primary level but also during adolescence, in secondary school, to provide parallel support to the students' personal growth, addressing the key topics and characteristics at each age range based on an understanding of their development. This way, topics such as self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and empathy can be addressed throughout adolescence, or boundaries and sociomoral emotions during early childhood, between ages two and four.

It is also highly relevant to include regular meetings with parents to inform them about the various characteristics that typically appear at their child's age. This will help them understand why their child behaves in a certain way and enable them to respond assertively and appropriately, in addition to guiding and stimulating their development. In this way, not only will the children be supported, but also their caregivers in the complex and often confusing task of parenting.

I must emphasize that this change in the educational system should start with the implementation of various emotional training courses for the teachers who comprise it. If the beliefs that the institution itself often imprints on students through its methodology and functioning are not addressed, achieving a significant personal change in each student will be difficult. While emotional education will provide them with tools to understand and manage their emotions, some of these emotions may still be based on various irrational beliefs and dysfunctional thoughts triggered by this system. This is why, when dealing with topics such as self-concept or inclusion, we need an education based on mechanisms that promote an optimal climate for the growth that the program aims to foster in children and adolescents. In this way, adults will be formed with a greater tolerance for failure and adversity, who will also possess proper emotional management and a high degree of empathy and understanding toward others, leading to a better quality of life and a more harmonious and united society. This opens the door to increasing development not only at the individual level but also at the social level.

In conclusion, implementing changes and improvements in the educational system, such as the inclusion of an emotional education program in classrooms from an early age, is of great importance to start working on the prevention and resolution of various social issues, opening the door to improving our interpersonal relationships and personal development.