LANGUAGE, SILENCE AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING IN CONTEMPORARY CLASSROOMS

AN APPEAL FOR A MEANINGFUL PEDAGOGIC SHIFT IN FAVOUR OF EQ FACTOR IN CURRICULUM

Abstract

For centuries, literature through poetry and prose has served as a mirror to reflect the emotional experiences of learners, which is often shaped by the education system. William Blake’s “The School Boy” (1789) happens to be one of the earliest poems that indicts traditional schooling. The speaker, who is a young school boy, wails about the loss of happiness and interest in learning. This resonates with our contemporary classrooms built with a toxic learning environment that inhibits individuality, coherent expression of thoughts, and authentic emotions.

This paper highlights how such a learning environment impacts learners' emotions and thereby their learning. Tracing literary sources from William Blake to Ocean Vuong and Warsan Shire, the paper explores how the modern educational system has reduced learners’ use of language to mere obedience and performance. Language serves as a space where humans express and repress their emotions, and the emotional well-being of learners is closely related to their linguistic environment. Yet, the modern education system continues to value correctness over connectedness. The conventional education system fails to consider the psychological aspect of the overwhelmed student and misjudges them to be disengaged. When thoughts are silenced due to pressure, the scope for articulation is limited.

In such a lifeless situation no real learning shall ever happen and no development is possible. The research calls for a pedagogical shift: from performance to presence. When a trainer listens to the learner, they do more than teach; they participate in a growing adult’s emotional well-being.

Keywords: Emotional well-being, language-aware pedagogy, student silence, educational psychology, poetry and education, Barrett, Vygotsky, Bonnie Badenoch.