Education is believed to hold the key to a child’s future success, which is then equated with their future happiness. Social emotional learning recognized the fact that the lack of guidance and preparation in having children identify and discuss their feelings was detrimental to their self-esteem and ability to effectively interact with other children.

While we greatly applaud the pioneering nature of this insight and the benefits it has produced, we feel that the recently validated theory of loving energy as nourishment (Deutsch, ’95) must be integrated into this field of knowledge in order to derive the full benefits available and necessary not only for self-esteem and relationship building, but for a child’s full biological – physical and mental development. Malnourishment is malnourishment, and it turns out it is not only associated with the absence of nourishing food.

The teacher my daughter, who now has her own daughter, remembers the best was her 3rd grade teacher. Her strict, but consistently caring behavior endeared her to all her students, who used to visit her even after they were in college.