Reference no: EM132688695

Analyzing Emotional Competence

It is important, as a teacher, to recognize signs of emotional distress in young children and respond in developmentally appropriate ways.

Consider the following scenarios:

Jackie, 1-year-old, seemed startled when she heard the fire alarm go off. She cried loudly even after her teacher picked her up and the fire alarm stopped ringing. The teacher held her gently and spoke softly and reassuringly to her. Jackie eventually cried less and became visibly relaxed in her teacher's arms.

Thomas is upset with Ruben. "You can't play here, Ruben. You pushed me when we were in circle time," said Thomas. Ruben responded by sweeping Thomas's puzzle pieces off the table. Mrs. Harrel, their teacher, spoke privately with Ruben and one part of her message was this: "You can use words to tell Thomas that you are upset. Try saying, ‘I want to play with you. I'm upset because you said no.'" She had Ruben say those words, for practice. Then she said, "Would you like to tell him now?"

Mr. Alexander noticed that his class was unusually active and even agitated after their walk to the library, and the children had difficulty settling back into their routine. Therefore, he gathered them on the carpet, turned on soft music, and led them in deep breathing exercises.