What do kids learn from EQuipped adults?
Dear EQuipped Leaders,
One of my favorite things about this blog is getting to connect with educators who are passionate about EQuipping themselves, their classrooms, and their students. It makes me feel genuinely hopeful about the future of schools.
As we enter into September with this new school year in full swing, I wanted to use our time together today to celebrate what happens with kids when adults are taking good care of their own EQ. What does it actually look like in practice?
I had an awesome teacher reader reach out to me recently and share some of her students’ responses to this prompt: “Tell me five things that you’ve learned in our class that aren’t in your spiral.”
Here’s what they said:
Student Response:
I have learned how to speak to myself in a positive way.
I have learned how to communicate with other students.
I have learned how to talk about my feelings.
I have learned how to speak spanish better.
I have learned to love myself.
Student Response: Mrs. G has taught me many things. She has taught me confidence, self love, and how to treat others, to stick up for each other, and to always be kind.
Student Response:
Compassion towards yourself
Belief in something bigger
How to show kindness even when you’re in pain
Many yoga poses
The importance of family
These are 8th graders, and they’re talking about their Spanish class and their Spanish teacher. I find this so beautiful. These kids are learning a lot more than Spanish in Mrs. G’s class.
This response really gets me:
“How to show kindness even when you’re in pain.”
Mrs. G recently lost a close family member, unexpectedly. Instead of hiding that reality from her students, she shows up as her authentic self at school. And she is doing so intentionally. She is not working her emotional pain out on her students or expressing her emotions irresponsibly. She is not oversharing about her personal life. Rather, she is using what she’s going through to be a better human. She’s modeling for students how to carry grief and still be kind. How to be a human, vulnerable to really difficult loss, and how to be honest about that pain while still showing up to serve other people. Honoring herself and her students. She is doing her own emotional work and modeling how to weather hard seasons for her students. What a powerful lesson she is sharing with her students, who are clearly learning it well.
When I look back over my own teaching career, my biggest regrets are my failures of kindness. I was a very efficient teacher. I always graded everything on time, was always prepared for each day’s lesson, was always efficient. In my effort to be perfect for my students, I think I often failed to be kind, to keep what really mattered in its proper perspective. I wish instead of trying to be perfect, I had been better EQuipped. I wish I had been more like Mrs. G.
I’m grateful to be more aware now and to keep growing here with you each week.
And connecting with Mrs. G and hearing who she is being for these 8th grade Spanish students makes me smile SO big.
There are teachers out there right now being kind and modeling how to be a better human for their students. You are not alone. And when you look back on your career and are no longer distracted by the day-to-day tasks, what do you want to see? What do you want students to learn from you that’s not in their spiral? :)
I’m so grateful for you. Soldier on, brave EQuipped Leaders! If no one has told you today, you’re doing an amazing job. I know because you’re here, taking the time to learn and grow.
Better EQuipped Together, Elizabeth elizabeth@appliedeqgroup.com
Elizabeth graduated with a B.A. and M.A. in English from the University of Central Arkansas. She taught English for a decade and got to read and write alongside kids in 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. The Applied EQ Group played an important role in her own personal EQ Intervention, and she is grateful to be able to spread the love and EQuip, empower, and encourage others. :)
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