Emotional Intelligence at Sail Caribbean

Over this past summer at Sail Caribbean, I have improved upon my past knowledge of how to be successful working with children. In particular this summer I have grown to understand the true importance of exercising strong emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is described as the ability to understand, interpret, and respond to the emotions of others while being able to manage and adapt to these emotions. I believe that emotional intelligence plays a huge role in one’s success at Sail Caribbean because there is no separation between the working and living environments. This lack of separation can create high intensity situations if the proper measures are not taken. It is crucial to be able to understand and respond to others’ emotions in different situations in order to maintain strong and successful relationships with students and staff members. Emotional intelligence was extremely important for me this summer in dealing with different issues that the students had such as being homesick and nervous or feeling left out or uncomfortable completing certain tasks. Without the ability to empathize or understand the emotions of the students, it would have been impossible to help them or to make them feel more comfortable. It was also crucial to use emotional intelligence to work successfully with my coworkers. Living in close quarters for extended amounts of time can try relationships and cause stress. With understanding, sympathy, and empathy, it becomes much easier to maintain these relationships. My time spent learning about emotional intelligence in Theories and Models and Justice and Civil Society prepared me extremely well for my work this summer.