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Emotional intelligence has been on my mind a lot this year, because I’m teaching a new class of seventh graders. They are new to my school and one another, so it’s quite exciting to perceive them as blank slates and nurture them to fulfill their potential.
The challenge in teaching rowdy teens is that their prefrontal contex doesn’t get developed until they reach 25. So, they give in to their impulses and react to defend their opinion/turf/ego before pausing to process their feelings and think through their turmoil of thoughts. What seems to me petty issues can turn out into major squabbles among them. It can be exasperating, especially when my personal store of energy and patience is running low.
Inevitably, I ponder about my EQ. I wonder whether it has dipped over the years since I became a father haha. The suffocating strangle of multiple responsibilities make me impatient to clear everything on my plate so that I can finally have some ME! time. I feel like I’m on a perpetual edge, never really 💯 present in the moment.
Do you think you have high EQ? Stackers seem to me to be highly evolved individuals, the way you all navigate discourse. Many of you start off with a “Thank you for sharing” and acknowledge others’ point of view before starting your conflicting one with a “yes, and”. How did you ever learn to communicate with such civility? Does SN bring out the best in you?
I personally have my bass set pretty high on my EQ. I love to feel it in my chest.
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When you got it, flaunt it
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Buzzword. IQ was never adequate to quantify the sum of human aptitude. Therefore something was needed to describe the portion unrecognized and topple the reign of the paper puzzle aptitude pushers. In its wake, a smattering of books ranging from snake oil to authentic academic discourse.
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Indeed. After EQ came Adversity Quotient haha
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Enough to know that I need to keep stacking more sats
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Having financial stability surely helps in building good EQ, I’m sure
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I believe that I am still growing and learning, and that my best is yet to come. Your question about emotional intelligence has made me think about whether I am more emotionally intelligent when I am interacting with others online or in person. I am not sure which is the case, but I am interested in exploring this question further.
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I think the prevailing school of thought is that we unleash our worst selves online, as a means to vent our real-life frustrations n because we stay anonymous online.
Personally I think I should have more EQ online, though. Because if I have the time to comment here on SN, it means I’m usually in a relaxed mode and have the energy to talk things through properly haha
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Yes I can see how some nuance is lost online, and it’s easy to take things personally. I used to, when I was in my 20s. Now I just don’t . All I care about is finding truth.
Some arguments though are so detached from reality, I just can’t help myself…I probably push the boundaries a little. But I’m a freedom maximalist, and there are some here that think nothing of infringing on others’ freedom…which to me is antithetical to Bitcoin.
Sorry if I’m going off topic, but that’s when I call people out: when they are comfortable violating the non aggression principal.
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No need for sorry. It’s good that you speak out to preserve the good vibes of an online community. I also know how not to push your buttons haha
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Does SN bring out the best in you?
Yes. This is more or less what I'm like normally, but it's better than I am elsewhere online. I think people sometimes come in a little hot, when they first find SN. The community is so thoughtful and discursive, though, that it takes the edges off (at least for some people, some of the time).
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Amazing how people keep their eye on V4V and acknowledge other Stackers’ efforts via zaps even when they may disagree haha
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I am below average at reading people in terms of body language and non-concrete language, especially women.
I’m sure I have pissed off many people because I can be direct. Grew up in rural area so I’m probably weird to my suburban neighbors.
That said my ego isn’t fragile so I guess that’s a positive.
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Has it been difficult trying to interact with your suburban neighbours and possibly having to circumvent the way you speak a little?
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Not difficult for me. Nothing bothers me much, I’m pretty zen. I can sometimes see the stress, or maybe annoyance, with some people, when interacting. Not everyone in the neighborhood, but there are some that just seem over sensitive for being a 40 or 50 year old adult. To me it seems child-like behavior. Mostly women, but a few men as well.
So sometimes I wonder if I’m weird or too unemotional…just a big mystery to me. Most people I work with are more aligned with how I operate, so I guess I picked the right career.
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