Motivation and Inspiration Day is celebrated on 2nd January in the United States of America. It is a day to sober up after all the festivities of New Year’s Eve and really get to work on resolutions. At the start of each new year, we all resolve that this is the year we will achieve our set goals and improve ourselves in general. So maybe, 2026 should also be the Year of Emotional Intelligence. After all, just as statistics show that people who read do better and earn more, statistics also show that people with high emotional intelligence do better and earn more after completing their education. Just as we teach reading as a subject at school, emotional intelligence can be taught.
This is the first four lines of a New Year poem by Jackie Kay. It is a perfect way to introduce what you think should be part of this year and your future.
Promise
by Jackie Kay
Remember, the time of year
when the future appears
like a blank sheet of paper
a clean calendar, a new chance.
From A Poem For Every Day Of The Year by Allie Esiri
Given the world extremes that students have been privy to recently, war, intolerance, racism, and the total disregard of others and their views, it is time to up the time spent on emotional intelligence, teaching empathy and about inclusion. The best way to do this is through circle time, class meetings, literature and strategies that enable students to understanding different viewpoints.
The phrase 'a new year of kindness' has evolved from a hopeful sentiment into a structured intention for societal healing and emotional resilience. Unlike fleeting trends, it emphasises sustainable acts of care, inclusion, and active listening. It encourages individuals to reflect on how their words and actions impact others—not just during holidays but throughout the calendar year. What will you resolve to do with a clean calendar and a blank sheet of paper?
Emotional intelligence is not about being nice or kind all the time. It is about being self-aware enough to navigate discomfort and uncertainty, to connect without losing yourself. Vulnerability should not equate with weakness.
At school we do a good job of ensuring students are in touch with their emotions and to know how to express them, but emotional intelligence is not about controlling emotions. It is about collaborating with them and using them to express empathy, to feel deeply and to make a difference for others.
There are five elements of Emotional Intelligence. One of them is empathy, but it is not enough on its own. There are many images online which provide a graphic for Emotional Intelligence. This is just one, but I like it because it gives a brief detail about each of the elements.
Empathy and sympathy are not the same thing.
I am not saying 'empathy' is easy to teach, but I do think too many teachers put it in 'the-too-hard basket'. I find it very easy to read to and share books with my students that take them beyond their life and their comfort zone. of course they may need scaffolding and I always ensure there is time for discussion. Questions I ask my students often is 'What is puzzling you?' and 'What are you wondering about?' as ways to understand what they are thinking about.
The annual
"Read for Empathy" booklist is announced in February by the non-profit EmpathyLab. I use these lists as research for my library shopping lists. I like the way it is divided into sections and age groups.
Similarly, Inclusive Books for Children provide wonderful annotated lists which will help teachers and teacher-librarians match their SEL (social-emotional learning) needs to the right books.
Book sites like these are extremely helpful as they mean teachers get to know what is new and appropriate. Otherwise there is a tendency to fall back on books they know from their own education and students miss out on what is new and pertinent.
