EDUCATION THAT FEELS: CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT AS A FORMATIVE PILLAR IN COLOMBIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL CLASSROOMS

Abstract

This essay analyzes emotional education in Colombian secondary school classrooms, based on theories of emotional intelligence and neuroeducation. The work examines how Colombia's sociocultural context, marked by inequalities and consequences of armed conflict, creates a particular scenario for adolescents' emotional development. It reviews regulatory evolution from the General Education Law to the recent Law 2383 of 2024, highlighting progress and pending challenges. The research emphasizes the fundamental role of teachers as emotional managers in the classroom, identifying tensions between institutional demands and student needs. It demonstrates that effective emotional management transcends isolated activities to constitute a transversal approach requiring adequate structural conditions and specialized teacher training. The analysis reveals significant gaps between urban and rural institutions regarding socioemotional development opportunities. Concrete pedagogical strategies are proposed based on scientific evidence and contextualized experiences, aimed at creating emotionally healthy educational environments where recognition and regulation of emotions are integrated into the curriculum. The work concludes that developing emotionally intelligent citizens is not a luxury but an urgent necessity to build a Colombian society capable of peacefully resolving conflicts, which requires moving beyond discourse to implement practices that effectively recognize emotions as central elements of the formative process.