Here we are the last step of the RULER method–regulation! A quick note before we complete this little series. You’ve probably already noticed that a linear process (recognize, then understand, then label, then express, then regulate) doesn’t completely match how we experience and respond to our emotions. The RULER method is a way of teaching these skills in a logical order, but the steps don’t necessarily need to be carried out in this order. Once students have the skills, they can apply them as they see fit! Okay here we go, on to regulation. What is Emotional Regulation? We regulate our emotions when we try to adjust them in some…
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Expressing Emotions, Social Emotional Learning (RULER, part 4)
The first three steps of the RULER method–recognize, understand, and label emotions–seem fairly straightforward and academic compared to the next two–express and regulate. Here is where the emotion comes out, and there’s a lot of potential for both healing and harm. So if there’s danger in expressing emotions, why should we (teachers) even go there? Because one way or another, kids are going to express their emotions. The questions isn’t if our students will express their emotions, the question is: will they express themselves in ways that are helpful or unhelpful? So in this post we’ll talk about helping students express their emotions in ways that are appropriate, healthy, and…
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How Do You Feel? The Mood Meter + A Vocabulary Challenge
Like I mentioned, I’ve been inspired by Marc Brackett’s book Permission to Feel. In the book he points out that most of us have a pretty puny vocabulary when it comes to emotions. Beyond “sad, glad, mad” we’re lost, and so we usually just stick to “fine.” Brackett suggests several tools for enhancing our emotional vocabulary. The more words we have to describe emotion, the better we become at understanding emotion. One tool is the mood meter: The mood meter is composed of four quadrants. Each quadrant corresponds to high/low energy and pleasantness/unpleasantness: Red: High Energy + Unpleasant Emotions that are fear or anger-related belong in this quadrant. Blue: Low…
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Can Emotional Intelligence Make Me a Better Teacher?
I love the elementary school aesthetic. Primary colors, tempura paint, jewelry made of macaroni “beads”—I love it all. But cheerful decor (and Instagram posts) not withstanding, school isn’t always the safe, uplifting place teachers and students would like it to be. Sometimes, despite everyone’s best intentions, it’s the opposite. Ever witnessed a shouting match unfurl in front of an adorable bulletin board? Yeah, me too. Teachers and students spend a big chunk of their lives at school, and classrooms are the site of a lot of negative emotion. Consider this: According to Gallup, nearly half of teachers report high levels of stress at work. They are tied with nurses for…
