Baltimore, like most cities in the US, is a city that needs to continue to cultivate compassion to help our children grow.  Having worked in many Baltimore city schools over the last 3 years using EMOTION MASKS, I have come to respect the power of the mask to allow it's wearer to speak freely, to feel freely, to know immediately what to say and do.  

ABOUT EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE EDUCATION:  
Psychologists suggest that providing young people with greater information as children about emotional expression, how it manifests on the face and in the body, can help prepare young people to deal more effectively with their own emotions, with cultivating compassion for themselves and others.

The underlying logic behind Emotional Intelligence supports the theory that confusion vulnerability and shame surrounding the experience of emotions in young people can predict the person's ability to handle to emotional experiences in later in their lives. This means that the sooner children learn and accept that emotional experiences are universal in human lives and not something to fear or be ashamed of, the easier it will be for them to process the experience of emotions and move through them in a healthy way.

Children who do not have the ability to process emotional experiences in a positive way are more likely to have issues of distrust with their community, unhealthy experiences with prolonged anger, will sometimes resort to more dangerous behaviors including drugs and violence, and will increasingly rely on outside solutions to solve their suffering over their lifetimes.


ABOUT USING EMOTION MASKS:
I have a step by step process that I use to bring students into a greater understanding of the emotion the mask represents BEFORE they put on the mask.  

Then we share ourselves with the mask on.  We speak the character's emotional truth.  And often, the truth comes flying out of our mouths.  And everyone understands.  The taboo of speaking is broken.  Hurts are released.  The actors are not embarassed.  The class knows that everyone is just acting, but we all sigh with the ease that is gained.


ABOUT THESE IMAGES
Because I cannot take photos in the classrooms where I work, I've taken images of these masks alone and on my 5 year old daughter, Nadya, and paired them with quotations about the significance of Emotional Intelligence in our culture.

I hope you will find them moving as I do.
  • Awe on a 5 year old
    Awe on a 5 year old
    “Emotional competence is the single most important personal quality that each of us must develop and access to experience a breakthrough. Only through managing our emotions can we access our intellect and our technical competence. An emotionally competent person performs better under pressure.” –Dave Lennick, Executive VP, American Express Financial Advisers
  • Sorrow on a 5 year old
    Sorrow on a 5 year old
    “75% of careers are derailed for reasons related to emotional competencies, including inability to handle interpersonal problems; unsatisfactory team leadership during times of difficulty or conflict; or inability to adapt to change or elicit trust.” — The Center for Creative Leadership
  • Joy on a 5 year old
    Joy on a 5 year old
    “The emotionally intelligent person is skilled in four areas: identifying emotions, using emotions, understanding emotions, and regulating emotions.” — John Mayer and Peter Salovey
  • Fear on a 5 year old
    Fear on a 5 year old
    “We are dangerous when we are not conscious of our responsibility for how we behave, think, and feel.” -— Marshall B. Rosenberg
  • Disgust on a 5 year old
    Disgust on a 5 year old
    “Whatever is begun in anger, ends in shame.” —- Benjamin Franklin
  • Anger Mask on a 5 year old
    Anger Mask on a 5 year old
    “It is very important to understand that emotional intelligence is not the opposite of intelligence, it is not the triumph of heart over head — it is the unique intersection of both.” — David Caruso
  • Half face Emotion Masks for small people
    Half face Emotion Masks for small people
    “What really matters for success, character, happiness and life long achievements is a definite set of emotional skills – your EQ — not just purely cognitive abilities that are measured by conventional IQ tests.” — Daniel Goleman
  • Full Faced Emotion Masks
    Full Faced Emotion Masks
    “There is no separation of mind and emotions; emotions, thinking, and learning are all linked.” — Eric Jensen