Emotional intelligence is not a subject. It is the foundation from which everything else grows.
Do you ask your son or daughter how he or she is feeling... and you don't know what to do with what he or she says? Or maybe it's the other way around: you get home at the end of the day and you notice that something is not right, but the school has no answer for that?
Many families in Barcelona and Sant Cugat come to Terra with a similar feeling: the education system gives them information about what their son or daughter is learning, but little about how he or she is doing. And that distance, between knowledge and well-being, is exactly what we at Terra have been accompanying for years.
Because at Terra we understand that educating is not just about providing content. It is to accompany each child in the process of growing: emotionally, socially, and in the knowledge of themselves.
School is not only a place where knowledge is acquired. It is also a place where children learn to live, relate to and understand the world around them.
In Terra, academic learning coexists with emotional development, identity building, autonomy, bonding skills, conflict management, self-esteem and self-knowledge. Not as separate areas, but as part of the same process.
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✦ MIRADA TERRA Conscious education starts from a conviction: that learning flourishes when a child grows up in an environment where he or she can recognize what he or she feels, develop tools to manage it and relate from emotional security. |
This is the difference between an education that accompanies the development of all the dimensions of the person, and an education that only measures academic results. At Terra we choose the former.
At Terra, emotional management is not only worked on at specific moments or in isolated activities. There is no time reserved for "emotions". The emotional approach is integrated into everyday life.
We accompany emotionally during conflicts, in moments of frustration, in the bonds that are formed, in play, in assemblies, in limits, in daily coexistence, in transitions and during the work cycle.
Because emotions do not wait. And neither do children.
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🌱 VOICE OF EARTH. Emotion is neither corrected nor punished; it is accompanied and transited. |
One of the ideas we most want to convey is this: accompanying emotionally does not imply avoiding difficult emotions.
The objective is not that children do not get angry, do not cry or do not get frustrated. The objective is to help them to recognize what they feel, to put words to their emotions, to develop internal resources, to learn to relate to what they experience and to feel accompanied in the process.
There is a huge difference between a child who learns to suppress what he or she feels and one who learns to deal with it. Terra works for the latter.
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🌍 EVIDENCE When the emotional dimension is neglected in childhood, difficulties can arise in interpersonal relationships, mental health, self-regulation and overall quality of life. Cultivating emotional awareness from an early age contributes to well-being, personal development and the relationships we build with others. |
Emotional security and bonding are fundamental for the development of children. This is not just a pedagogical conviction; it is something we see on a daily basis.
When a child feels seen, respected, listened to, safe and accompanied, he or she can learn from a much more available and authentic place. The bond with the caregivers plays a key role in this process.
At Terra, the bond is not an extra. It is the condition from which everything else makes sense.
The adult has a fundamental role as an emotional reference. And that implies much more than managing situations; it implies accompanying with presence, maintaining clear and respectful limits, observing without judging, validating emotions and favoring the autonomy of each child.
It also implies reviewing one's own emotional world. Conscious education is not only a methodology for the children; it is also a work of observation and coherence on the part of the adult.
In Terra, companions are not authority figures who impose. They are referents who support and accompany.
Emotional accompaniment makes more sense when there is communication and coherence between school and family. When children receive coherent messages in the two spaces where they spend the most time, their emotional development is profoundly favored.
At Terra we place great importance on mutual listening, respectful dialogue, shared accompaniment and building trust with families. Not as a formality, but as a real part of children's well-being.
The family-school relationship is not logistical. It is part of the process of growing up.
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THE EMOTIONAL DIMENSION WITHIN THE 11 DIMENSIONS OF CONSCIOUS EDUCATION |
At Terra we work through the 11 dimensions of conscious education, which are organized into three groups:
The emotional dimension is one of the "inward" dimensions. Its objective is for children to develop the ability to recognize, understand and express their own emotions, as well as the bodily reactions they generate.
It is not an additional dimension. It is the root from which the others can grow solidly.
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Q: What is emotional intelligence and why is it important in childhood? |
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A: Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand and manage one's own emotions and those of others. In childhood, its development directly influences well-being, interpersonal relationships, learning ability and long-term mental health. At Terra, this dimension is not a one-time activity, but an essential part of everyday life.
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Q: How does Terra work with children's emotional development? |
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A: At Terra, emotional support is integrated into daily life: in conflicts, in play, in assemblies, in bonding and in moments of frustration. It is not a question of avoiding difficult emotions, but of accompanying them. Emotions are neither corrected nor punished; they are accompanied and dealt with.
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Q: What is respectful education and how does it differ from the traditional model? |
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A: Respectful education is based on recognizing that each child has his or her own pace of development, and that comparing or pressuring generates disconnection. At Terra, we prioritize a personalized approach that validates emotions, supports limits based on respect and favors the autonomy of each child.
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Q: Why is emotional bonding key to learning? |
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A: When a child feels seen, listened to and secure, he or she can learn from a much more authentic place. Emotional security is not an add-on to learning: it is the condition that makes it possible. At Terra, the bond between the child and his or her companions, and with the rest of the group, is the basis for everything.
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Q: How can the family complement the school's emotional support? |
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A: Emotional support makes more sense when there is coherence between school and family. At Terra we encourage communication and respectful dialogue with families, because we understand that the family-school relationship is part of the well-being of children. |
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TERRA - SANT CUGAT DEL VALLÈS Do you want to know how we accompany your son or daughter at Terra? If any of what you have read today resonates with you, we would love to meet you and tell you how we live day to day at Terra. |