Boys in Australia to be taught "emotional intelligence" at school

[Hooligan Harry]

QUEENSLAND private school boys are being taught about getting in touch with feelings and emotions to better prepare them to become 21st century men.

The Courier-Mail reports the seismic shift to start teaching Emotional Intelligence or "positive psychology" is taking place in some of Queensland's most prestigious boys schools.

A leading education academic has backed the move but it has been criticised by a Federal MP who says it will turn young men into "sooks".

At St Joseph's College, known as Terrace, in Brisbane, year 10 boys have been provided with their own separate campus to encourage social skills and reflection on relationships.

Terrace College Principal Peter Chapman said boys, particularly those in year 9 and 10, sometimes struggled with communication, which was a vital life skill.
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"I think boys' schools years ago . . . were one or two dimensional," Mr Chapman said.

"But I think what has been called for in boys' schools is a holistic approach to education; their social, emotional, spiritual, academic, all those dimensions, are being called into play.

"It's a new-age young man that is appropriate for the complexities of this society."

And there has been a surge in students taking private speech and drama lessons, as the importance of communication is pushed.

At The Southport School on the Gold Coast, headmaster Greg Wain said he was greeted with a reaction somewhere "between aghast and sceptical" when he first raised the idea of fostering emotional intelligence. He said fathers took a lot more convincing than mothers of the benefits of focusing on emotions and positive psychology.

"It seems to be something that is more naturally understood by the women than the men," Mr Wain said.

He said educating boys was no longer just about academia and sport but about helping them "understand what it is to be a boy and a man".

"In the centuries gone by, a lot of those traits were to do with size and strength – bravery in battle," he said.

"Nowadays, the 21st century leader needs to understand himself really well, needs to be able to understand his strengths and weaknesses and be able to work in a team."

"It is going to make for a more peaceful society if we can teach boys how to solve conflicts well from a young age."

'Violence is old-fashioned masculinity'

Bob Lingard, from the University of Queensland's School of Education, said problems such as violence in football were the result of men adopting an old-fashioned stereotypical idea of masculinity.

"Young women have changed and now we have to remake boys in a way and if you can do that under something called emotional intelligence then that's a good thing," Professor Lingard said.

"Young men need to understand they need to be respectful of each other and respectful to women."

But Independent MP Bob Katter said the education system was "building a race of sooks".

"We should not be teaching men to be women . . . in the real world you do have to face your fears and stand up for yourself, whether that is physical or mental, and to tell boys they don't have to have that sort of courage is a lie."

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25818751-421,00.html

Note the comments and how many people are in support of the idea.

 

[Unbridled_Phoenix]

The irony is, it's probably a bunch of men who are behind this. One woman in a group suggested it, and a bunch of middle-age chumps harrumphed in agreement...

This is the nail in your coffin, brothers from down under...

Viva le revolucion!

 

[Jeffst1980]

I don't see anything wrong with this.

Emotional intelligence is simply one's ability to manage emotions and harness them in a proactive, goal oriented manner. It doesn't have to sacrifice masculinity. It doesn't mean they're going to make their students wear dresses and watch "The Notebook."

Like it or not, coming from a "culture of honor" puts one at a disadvantage in modern times. It seems to me that this school is just trying to break away from the tradition of solving problems with unchecked aggression and instead teach its students to react coolly and use critical thinking and communication skills to solve problems.

In a nutshell, it's what we do on this board. We tell posters not to succumb to their egos and emotional urges and instead rely on a rational thought process and social awareness.

 

[Warrior74]

I don't see anything wrong with this.

Emotional intelligence is simply one's ability to manage emotions and harness them in a proactive, goal oriented manner. It doesn't have to sacrifice masculinity. It doesn't mean they're going to make their students wear dresses and watch "The Notebook."

Like it or not, coming from a "culture of honor" puts one at a disadvantage in modern times. It seems to me that this school is just trying to break away from the tradition of solving problems with unchecked aggression and instead teach its students to react coolly and use critical thinking and communication skills to solve problems.

In a nutshell, it's what we do on this board. We tell posters not to succumb to their egos and emotional urges and instead rely on a rational thought process and social awareness.

You don't honestly believe that is what they are going to teach to do? You sound horribly naive.

 

[Jitterbug]

They got you fooled too, Jeffst1980?

Most of people involved in education - from the policy makers to the teachers - in Australia are females or male feminists. What do you think they're gonna teach the boys?

 

[MSwrestler]

It is well known public education is all bs and propaganda and sucks balls at teaching.

 

[jophil28]

You don't honestly believe that is what they are going to teach to do? You sound horribly naive.

Those schools mentioned in the article are prestigeous upscale private 'males only' schools.

These new age fads crept into the public school system here about twenty many ago. The promoters lauded the programs with all the flowery hype that we get down here from third rate leftist psych types.
They promised more social and gender equity, however they ultimately delivered a contaminated and feminised social education system in which boys were punished for even mild expressions of masculinity and girls were rewarded for being bratty little baitches.

Feminist ideology at work masquerading as "fairness".

 

[Jeffst1980]

You don't honestly believe that is what they are going to teach to do? You sound horribly naive.

All I'm going on is the article, which is probably emphasizing the touchy-feely aspects to make it a better story. I don't know how the curriculum is written, and I don't know anything about private schools in Australia. All I'm saying is that I don't disagree with the premise of teaching emotional intelligence.

 

[Jitterbug]

All I'm saying is that I don't disagree with the premise of teaching emotional intelligence.

Neither do I, but my issue with it (just like with a few other things they want schools to teach) is that it's the PARENTS' responsibility, not schools.

If the kids really do need to be taught emotional intelligence (and why are they only targetting boys and not girls? Not like girls here are any better at that!), and the parents are failing to deliver then it is the parents that need to get educated.

 

[Unbridled_Phoenix]

Teaching emotional "intelligence" in public schools is a horrible idea, since when are emotions quantifiable in a scientific, academic, teachable manner? Is it their intention to completely dehumanize their male population? I probably don't want to know...

I'm picturing Pink Floyd's 'The Wall', but the boys are falling into a giant pvssy instead of a meat grinder!

You Australian guys need to be writing letters to every newspaper and government official you can find!

 

[Luthor Rex]

Teaching emotional "intelligence" in public schools is a horrible idea, since when are emotions quantifiable in a scientific, academic, teachable manner? Is it their intention to completely dehumanize their male population? I probably don't want to know...

I'm picturing Pink Floyd's 'The Wall', but the boys are falling into a giant pvssy instead of a meat grinder!

You Australian guys need to be writing letters to every newspaper and government official you can find!

All in all, they're just another brick in the wall.

 

[prairiedog24]

Jeff is right. Anyone who has a problem with teaching or learning EQ should NOT be on a website that specializes in just that.

Just because it has the word "emotional" in it does not make it feminine.

Also, wouldn't taking something and qualifying, quantifying, and defining in a scientific manner be something extremely MASCULINE.

Fact is, EQ is the single most important thing to success, far outstripping IQ. You guys should know what you're talking about before you knock it.

That said, I have no doubt the school will do a horrible job teaching it. Just like they do a horrible job teaching history, mathmatics, philosophy, and science. But you should hate the education system, not the subject.

 

[Jitterbug]

Jeff is right. Anyone who has a problem with teaching or learning EQ should NOT be on a website that specializes in just that.

They are not the same.

People on this site are adults who learn things here voluntarily. The ones they're trying to teach this stuff to are little boys who will have no say in what they're supposed to learn.

 

[KontrollerX]

More emasculating rubbish.

The west's cultural marxist war on men continues...

 

[Mr. Me]

A guy here in the Bronx recently had an angry exchange, got in his car real pissed off, and in his rage, ran down and killed a man, nearly also killing the child the man was crossing the street with and damaged several other cars in his path before his car was totaled. He had not learned self control, He had not learned to check his emotions. I think that's all they're looking to do, is stop rage and aggression. EQ doesn't mean becoming female or submissive. It means being more in tune with yourself and having control over yourself and better understanding of what's going on rather then resorting to and bowing to base impulses that could prove harmful.

 

[Warrior74]

A guy here in the Bronx recently had an angry exchange, got in his car real pissed off, and in his rage, ran down and killed a man, nearly also killing the child the man was crossing the street with and damaged several other cars in his path before his car was totaled. He had not learned self control, He had not learned to check his emotions. I think that's all they're looking to do, is stop rage and aggression. EQ doesn't mean becoming female or submissive. It means being more in tune with yourself and having control over yourself and better understanding of what's going on rather then resorting to and bowing to base impulses that could prove harmful.

Don't make excuses for them. Learning to check your emotions is something you learn at home.

 

[Mr. Me]

I'm not making excuses for anyone. And don't toss a label on what I write.

It would be great if they taught it at home, and it seems that you get that it should be taught. This is the kind of the same argument people made in the 80's when they announced they'd be teaching "ethics" in schools. And back in the 40's they taught how to be good citizens. And the Boy Scouts teach you how to be honorable. And the YMCA teaches how to be a team player. And the Church teaches how to be a good person, and so on...

But lots of folks don't learn self control, so they're obviously not learning it at home or it's not being taught at home. So we have to wait while people act out their aggressions until they maybe decide that they ought to act in a higher manner?

 

[Quiksilver]

At The Southport School on the Gold Coast, headmaster Greg Wain said he was greeted with a reaction somewhere "between aghast and sceptical" when he first raised the idea of fostering emotional intelligence. He said fathers took a lot more convincing than mothers of the benefits of focusing on emotions and positive psychology.

Hah, I went to that school a few years back. Good boarding school, fun times. Amazing location; we used to sneak out of class, swim across the waterway and go surfing. Here's a pic

Rather than teaching emotional intelligence, the only thing most kids need these days is to unplug from the internet and video games. Getting outside and involved in team sports and finding their social identity is the solution. That doesn't happen through organized "group therapy" sessions in school.

 

[Luminescence]

Again this is another example of women wanting to have their cake and eat it too. They want men to be more sensitive without fully realizing that in order for women to continue enjoying the passive (low risk) role in initiating relationships that men have always had to bear the brunt of......And now they're trying to rid us of the very thick skinned qaulities that we need to function in the role that is so often expected of us.

 

[prairiedog24]

They are not the same.

People on this site are adults who learn things here voluntarily. The ones they're trying to teach this stuff to are little boys who will have no say in what they're supposed to learn.

See, I suspect the argument we're having is that we all probably suspect that what they'll be teaching probably has nothing to do with EQ. Certainly the way they describe the program isn't EQ.

EQ simply means your ability to feel/understand/empathize with other people, and read their emotional ques. Just like IQ is your ability to solve problems and logic puzzles, EQ is your ability to solve emotional puzzles.

That's 100% on the dot what we're all doing here. Every time KontrollerX or another PUA says "what women actually think is..." they're teaching EQ.
EQ skills are more important to life success than anything else. A school may make horrible teaching decisions and make things way worse than better, but the people on here saying "omg EQ = female crap" are just uninformed.