Attending classes at Thompson Rivers University shed a different light on the problem I faced as a teacher in Mumbai. There were several courses that talked about incorporating emotional intelligence into the curriculum. One course in particular caught my attention, it was History and Philosophy of Education. It was because of that particular course and the course readings that I started thinking about the experiences I had as a teacher in Mumbai. In my opinion, many times schools in India place too much emphasis on test scores in defining the purpose of education. This is a mistake because to me the purpose of education involves more than a score on a test. “. . . the countless hours we had spent in the existentially meaningless and forced assimilation of content competing for good grades and, presumably, future security and happiness.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay I believe that the purpose of education is to attempt to instill a desire to learn and to teach children how to think for themselves rather than what to think. Throughout the master's program I was exposed to the concepts of social-emotional learning (SEL) and its inclusion in the curriculum. I realize the importance of SEL and how essential it is to integrate it into elementary schools in India. I firmly believe that developing SEL in students at a young age cultivates effective leadership skills, also leads to the development of social interaction skills and awareness of self and others. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that it is incorporated into the Indian education system, especially at the elementary level, as younger children are quite impressionable and easily absorb new qualities. Mayer and Salovey (1997) in their research on emotional intelligence found that teachers have difficulty identifying the exact skills and knowledge that students need to be successful in life. It is very common to consider intelligence quotient (IQ) versus EI to determine a student's success rate. Mayer and Salovey (1997) argue that other factors, particularly emotional intelligence, play a greater role in determining whether one is successful or not. Unfortunately, schools in India focus very little on these other factors – such as emotional intelligence – that contribute to the success a person might have in life. My experience as a teacher made it clear that students' social and/or emotional needs were not being met. How could I expect them to focus on the task at hand? And a bigger question loomed. How could these students acquire the social-emotional skills necessary to realize their full potential and become active members of society if they did not learn them at home or in school? Indian society and its education have always focused on better social and emotional development. Since the Vedic era, the focus was on forming good habits, developing traits such as respect, love, caring, friendship, courage, sharing and cooperation. People once had a great ability to control emotions, but were weak in expressing them, since expressing too many emotions was considered a sign of weakness. Today, with the changing times, children's social and emotional development has become weak due to parental pressure and excessive focus on cognitive development. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get wise.