{"id":81938,"date":"2025-11-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casel.org\/?post_type=blogposts&#038;p=81938"},"modified":"2025-11-20T13:41:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T19:41:35","slug":"emotional-intelligence-education-and-the-courage-to-keep-going","status":"publish","type":"blogposts","link":"https:\/\/casel.org\/blog\/emotional-intelligence-education-and-the-courage-to-keep-going\/","title":{"rendered":"Emotional Intelligence, Education, and the Courage to Keep Going"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-points\"><strong>Key Points<\/strong><\/h2><a class=top href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To truly prepare children for the future, we must integrate <em>social and emotional learning<\/em> with <em>knowledge transfer<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>AI can never replace educators. It is a tool for accessing knowledge\u2014but teachers are the ones who build <em>connections<\/em> and <em>relationships<\/em>. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><em>We\u2019re excited to share these comments from an educator who was inspired by her experience of CASEL\u2019s webinar <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/casel.org\/events\/wired-for-connection-reimagining-engagement-in-a-digital-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Wired for Connection: Reimagining Engagement in a Digital World.<\/em><\/a><em> This free online event served as a \u201ckickoff\u201d and sneak peek to our <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/selexchange.casel.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>upcoming virtual <\/em>Exchange<\/a><em>, coming February 18-19, 2026. Thank you to its author for sharing her insights from this webinar.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Education and emotional intelligence are essential for helping our children master their futures. We, as adults, must ensure that <em>quality and equity<\/em> in education are not just words, but reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Tuesday evening, <a href=\"https:\/\/casel.org\/events\/wired-for-connection-reimagining-engagement-in-a-digital-world\/\">I attended a webinar<\/a> hosted by Dr. Aaliyah A. Samuel, president and CEO of CASEL. The keynote speaker was Dr. Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills at the OECD. I have to say\u2014it was one of the best, if not <em>the<\/em> best, webinars I have ever attended. I left feeling deeply inspired and reminded that my daily work with children truly matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/casel.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/Title-Slide_Wired-for-Connection.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-81761\" style=\"width:453px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Since COVID-19, there have been many moments when I thought about giving up and seeking a job that offers more financial and mental security. Obstacles keep rising, and I often ask myself, <em>why do you keep going?<\/em> There are days when all my effort to make a difference feels like crashing against a wall. It\u2019s not because of the children, but because of what\u2019s happening in public education. What I witness day by day often leaves me confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What keeps me going is the belief that if I give up now, I would be letting down not only the children I teach but also those still waiting for their chance. I\u2019ve been a strong supporter of social and emotional learning (SEL) since I began tutoring, and I work with many like-minded educators. In our public education system, those who strive for change often receive little support. Many eventually give up or even leave the profession, exhausted and burned out. I have met many great educators and watched them being transferred or leaving\u2014simply because they thought differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For those unfamiliar with Dr. Schleicher: He is director for education and skills at the OECD, and the initiator of Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other international assessments that have created a global platform for innovation in education. UK Secretary of State Michael Gove once called him \u201cthe most important man in English education\u201d\u2014even though he is German and lives in France. I find that quite remarkable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the webinar, Dr. Schleicher talked about the <em>science behind motivation and connection<\/em> and how emotional intelligence, combined with the smart and ethical use of technology, can help every student build a successful future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>But here\u2019s the truth: AI can never replace educators. It is a tool for accessing knowledge\u2014but teachers are the ones who build <em>connections<\/em> and <em>relationships<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But here\u2019s the truth: AI can never replace educators. It is a tool for accessing knowledge\u2014but teachers are the ones who build <em>connections<\/em> and <em>relationships<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SEL provides the tools to achieve emotional intelligence. Many participants raised questions about AI and the future of teaching. But here\u2019s the truth: AI can never replace educators. It is a tool for accessing knowledge\u2014but teachers are the ones who build <em>connections<\/em> and <em>relationships<\/em>. They are the ones who lift students up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To truly prepare children for the future, we must integrate <em>social and emotional learning<\/em> with <em>knowledge transfer<\/em>. This will help children combine emotional intelligence with ethical, intelligent use of technology, enabling them to become thoughtful, creative developers of a better, safer world for all. The foundation for this is a continuous improvement in quality and equity in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The views in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CASEL.<\/em><em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Elke Landrock <\/em><\/strong><em>is an ESL\/EAL consultant and developer of early years language programs. Based in Saxony, Germany, she offers support for in-class mentoring, program adaptation, materials development, and professional collaboration.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Posts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/casel.org\/blog\/exchange-keynote-wired-for-connection-the-impact-of-the-teacher-student-relationship-on-student-well-being\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Exchange Keynote\u2014Wired for Connection: The Impact of the Teacher-Student Relationship on Student Well-Being<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/casel.org\/blog\/join-the-conversation-whats-being-said-about-ai-in-education-and-sels-role-alongside-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Join the Conversation: What\u2019s Being Said About AI in Education and SEL\u2019s Role Alongside it?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Webinar recap: <a href=\"https:\/\/casel.org\/blog\/emotion-regulation-the-missing-key-to-future-readiness-from-classrooms-to-careers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Emotion Regulation: The Missing Key to Future Readiness\u2014From Classrooms to Careers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"write-for-us\"><strong>Write for Us<\/strong><\/h2><a class=top href=\"#top\">Back to top<\/a>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you interested in writing for CASEL\u2019s blog, <em>Constellations<\/em>? <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1zSZFveKA8xsmlCADpfDP8t-y9emN0qswHQh1MnfmqBI\/edit\">Learn more<\/a> about what we\u2019re looking for and how to pitch your idea!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Back to top We\u2019re excited to share these comments from an educator who was inspired by her experience of CASEL\u2019s webinar Wired for Connection: Reimagining Engagement in a Digital World. This free online event served as a \u201ckickoff\u201d and sneak peek to our upcoming virtual Exchange, coming February 18-19, 2026. Thank you to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":81940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","theme":[202],"class_list":["post-81938","blogposts","type-blogposts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","theme-sel-to-me"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blogposts\/81938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blogposts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blogposts"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81938"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casel.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/theme?post=81938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}