Sample ~ Third Competency ~ part two
ELSOTA! (Emotion Literacy School ON THE AIR)
Road Rage Meets Emotion Literacy
Announcer
Welcome to ELSOTA!, Emotion Literacy School ON THE AIR, with our teaching artist, Pamela Sackett.
Pamela
Hello everyone!
Announcer
—and her eager student, Freddy!
Freddy
What’s emotion literacy?
Announcer
Emotion literacy is a way of thinking that allows you to know your feelings, Freddy.
Freddy
What’s emotion literacy school?
Announcer
The only school that takes five minutes to—
Freddy
Pssssst, Pamela!
Pamela
Yes, Freddy?
Freddy
I forgot to feed my sister Francie’s cat…would you drive over there with me right now?
Pamela
Sure.
Announcer
ELSOTA! The only school that takes five minutes to take five minutes!
(Freddy’s and Pamela’s footsteps, sound of entering car, car motor, and they’re off)
Freddy
So, teach, I guess we’re taking some time off from learning emotion literacy.
Pamela
No need to do that.
Freddy
(car screeches, other car peels rubber, etc.)
You lame-brain! Watch where you’re going. Well, I mean, it’s not like you can teach it to me here—
Pamela
I beg to differ.
Freddy
That guy cut me off!
Pamela
Does that make him a lame-brain?
Freddy
Hey!
(honks car horn)
Hey! Hey! I was at the stop first, you nitwit.
Pamela
Is that what a nitwit looks like? I always wondered about that particular brand of human being.
Freddy
He could have waited half a second for me to go through.
Pamela
So, Freddy, if they’re nitwits, what are you?
Freddy
I’m no nitwit.
Pamela
What would you call yourself, then?
Freddy
Yeah, well, same to you!
Pamela
Do you have a name for yourself in moments like these?
Freddy
Did you see that? That lame-brain gave me the finger!
Pamela
How about we name you Anxious Frustration for the time being.
Freddy
Yeah, well, call me what you will, but if you had to navigate around these morons—
(honks repeatedly)
— MORON!
(tires screech)
Pamela
Do you think the other drivers could be named Anxious Frustration too?
Freddy
Why would that guy be frustrated—he just took my spot!
Pamela
Was that your spot?
Freddy
I always park there…oh, great park job—I can hardly squeeze by this imbecile.
Pamela
Do you like to drive, Freddy?
Freddy
Yeah, I love it.
Pamela
That’s what love sounds like…hmmm.
(they exit car and approach house…sound of key in door… footsteps, etc.)
Freddy
Oh my god, I’m too late, I knew it!! Francie’s going to kill me. Look at this mess—that blanket’s going to smell for forever—where is that crazy cat?!
(phone rings)
Freddy
Hello?
Francie
Freddy? Francie. Good, you’re there…taking care of the cat? I’ll be home a little later than I thought. I’m still waiting for Jack to propose. How is everything?
Freddy
It’s fine.
Francie
Oh my god—what happened?! You only say ‘it’s fine’ when something’s up—what’s up, Freddy? Did you forget to feed the cat last night, nitwit?! Look, Freddy, I am counting on you and so is Hairball—did she pee on my blanket again? Only when I’m counting on you, Freddy—she never does that when I’m around, and you know why—because I feed her when she’s hungry. And what do you do, imbecile? You forget, you moron! That’s it! Next time Jack and I take a weekend off, we take my car and you’ll just have to go without, nitwit!
Freddy
What would you call yourself in moments like these, Francie?
Francie
What?
Freddy
What would you call yourself…Anxious Frustration?
Francie
What are you talking about? I’m not frustrated—you are a nitwit!
Freddy
Yeah, well, that doesn’t sound like love to me.
Francie
Listen, Freddy, you better feed Hairball before I get back.
Freddy
I think we should change her name…how would you like to be called Hairball?
Francie
That was my name, or don’t you remember Dad calling me that all the time? And if it was good enough for Dad, it’s fine with me, and if it’s fine with me, it’s good enough for Hairball.
Freddy
So is Jack really going to propose this time or not?
Francie
I don’t know.
Freddy
So you are anxious and frustrated.
Francie
Well, maybe…well, yeah, that is precisely what I am—anxious and frustrated…and I’ll lay bets Hairball is, too. So please, Freddie, feed her, okay? And get that cat pee out of my blanket, wouldja?
(phone clicks to dial tone)
Freddy
Bingo! Anxious Frustration—thou art our family name…so, Teach, is that our emotion literacy lesson for today—name-feelings instead of name-calling?
Pamela
Yes…sitting with anxiety is quite a different ride than sitting on it.
Freddy
I still wouldn’t have made it in time to intercept the cat pee.
Pamela
No, but if you had known you were anxious, you probably wouldn’t have been so inclined to lambaste your fellow drivers—
Freddy
—which just made me more anxious…and more prone to reckless driving! So if I had just recognized that I was anxious, I probably wouldn’t have been so anxious.
Pamela
Funny how that works!
(end of “Road Rage Meets Emotion Literacy” audio)
A gentle reminder of the Third Competency:
Synopsis
ELSOTA!’s eager student, Freddy, frantically races off with his teacher in his sister Francie’s car to feed Francie’s cat, Hairball. Traffic really jams in his sister’s apartment with Francie’s reprimands and hungry Hairball’s retribution. Freddy learns the safest, quickest and clearest travel route, inside and out, is naming feelings instead of name-calling.
Note To Emotion Literacy Explorers
This episode and interactive exercises serve to guide listeners to engage with personal interactions and high-pressure situations responsibly.
Take a moment to digest what you heard.
Questions and discussion topics
Why was Freddy frustrated?
What do you think Freddy had on his mind when he was driving?
How does Freddy’s driving remind you of other drivers you know? (Or yourself)
Can you recall a time when other drivers caused you frustration? Describe one.
When you were driving and frustrated, were there other reasons for you to be frustrated? Describe one.
Examples
Late to an appointment; worried about a personal relationship or money or new problem; boss / parent / sibling / friend on your case.
In Freddy’s situation, he forgot to feed his sister’s cat. His sister was quick to punish Freddy for his forgetfulness by calling him names and barring him from using her car. This type of familial interaction between Freddy and Francie is habitual. It became obvious to Freddy that other drivers frustrated him; it was not so apparent to him that he was also frustrated about his situation with Francie before he even got into the car.
Freddy’s road to awareness begins by naming a feeling. His course of action continues by identifying the sources of his feelings. The object for Freddy is not to rid himself of his feelings (or his option to vent!), but to know the truth of their existence and allow that knowledge to steer the course of his behavior.
Question
If you were in Freddy’s situation, what might you do to prevent aggressive driving before starting the car?
Exercise
Think about the situation you are leaving and/or the situation you are traveling to, and acknowledge the feelings you have about these situations.
Example
I forgot to feed my sister’s cat / I’m worried the cat will make a mess, my sister will find out and she’ll be mad at me.
Feelings precede behavior and are oftentimes more difficult to recognize. Perceiving feelings, understanding and accepting them, affords us the power to make informed choices. Being unaware of our feelings is like having invisible hands steer our car…ELSOTA! suggests we welcome our feelings to sit with us in the front seat, so we can keep a kind eye on them and the road.