We Teach Kids to Use Their Words. Then We Reward Adults for Staying Silent. Let’s Redesign the Syllabus—for Workplaces, Too

I know the water cycle. I’ve memorized my times tables.
But no one taught me how to say,
“I need a break” without guilt.
Or how to recover from the emotional fog that settles in after you send a brave, vulnerable email…
and hear nothing back.

Instead, I learned to smile politely while being blamed for things I didn’t sign up for. To nod along while someone quietly dumped their unfinished deadline on my calendar. And to say, “Sure, I’ll handle it”—because I was seen as calm, capable, and available.

Meanwhile, in early childhood classrooms—something radical is happening. Toddlers are learning to name their emotions, set boundaries, and repair ruptures.
And they’re good at it.
Why?
Because we give them space to try, stumble, and try again.

Then they grow up. And the emotional syllabus just… vanishes.

“Professionalism” becomes silence.
Conflict becomes avoidance.
“Use your words” turns into…
“Seen.”
(The modern adult ghosting technique—now available in your inbox.)

We teach empathy to children, then model passive aggression in meetings.
We hang SEL posters in classrooms but ghost our coworkers.
We clap when a four-year-old says “sorry,”
but watch adults tiptoe around accountability in the name of “not making things awkward.”

We conduct workshops on team building, but return to our silos and spreadsheets like nothing ever happened.
We host seminars on communication, then reward the loudest voice or the safest silence.
We call compassion a “soft skill,” but expect people to survive burnout with a smile.

And through all of this—we stick to outdated curricula as if the world hasn’t changed.
We teach facts they can Google,
but skip the human tools they’ll actually need:
how to navigate heartbreak, failure, betrayal, change, and connection.

 So here’s a wild idea:

Let’s redesign the syllabus.
Not just for kids—for adults, too.
Let’s make emotional intelligence part of the job description.

Let’s treat resilience, clarity, and kindness as essential.
Let’s teach what life actually demands:

• How to say no without overexplaining.
• How to offer feedback without flinching.
• How to repair a rupture without ego.
• How to own a mistake without blame-hopping.

What if emotional literacy was part of leadership training?
What if setting boundaries wasn’t seen as “difficult,” but disciplined?
What if performance reviews included courage, not just KPIs?

Because here’s the truth:
Kids are already practicing what we preach—but don’t always live.

They say “I didn’t like that” and “Can we try again?” with shaky voices and big hearts.
They’re doing the emotional heavy lifting.
Are we?

It’s time we catch up.
Let’s redesign the syllabus.
Let’s teach what life—and work—actually demands.

 Call to Action:

If you’ve ever stayed silent to stay “professional”…
If you’ve ever absorbed emotional labor without acknowledgment…
Or if you simply want workplaces to feel a little more human—
share this. Start a conversation. Be the rewrite