Without Emotional Intelligence IQ means Nothing

Sunday, October 31, 2010 at 5:30PM

In the Denver Post, October 29th

Without Emotional Intelligence, IQ means nothing

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Castle Pines resident wins award for children’s DVD

Monday, February 1, 2010 at 3:49PM

As featured in The Villager newspaper Jan. 7, 2010

Castle Pines resident wins award for children’s DVD By Rosemary Fetter

Castle Pines resident Sue Lee has recently been named a winner of the Silver Parents Choice Award for an innovative DVD called I Believe in Me, which teaches children how to use their “emotional intelligence” to solve problems, create positive outcomes and develop social skills.

According to Lee, emotional intelligence, or E.Q., is simply positive thinking, the utilization of emotions to make a positive difference in your life. These are survivor’s skills – how to be a friend,how to pick yourself up after a failure or bad experience – essentially,how to make the connection between positive emotions, thoughts, words and actions. They are the skills often associated with the words “character” and “confidence.”

“Some people are lucky to learn them in elementary school, some in high school and some never learn them at all,” Lee said.

A former adult managament skills instructor, who also taught elementary school, Lee recognized early that it's much easier to teach the skills to younger children than adults. She developed the DVD for young children, ages 2-4. Together with two partners, Gilbert Hernandez of Castle Pines North and Joni David of Lone Tree, she raised nearly half a million dollars to create the program, but ran out of funding. Undaunted, she began handing her DVD out to parents, teachers and administrators. Last April, she submitted it to the prestigious Parents' Choice Award.

"The Parents' Chice Foundation sets very high standards and the award is highly value." Lee said. "To give you a prespective, there were six Gold Awards, three of them Disney products. One of the eight Silver Awards ws an Elmo product, Sesame Workshop."

The I Believe in Me!DVD allows children to observe, interact and participate, which is how they learn. Lee uses color to help deliver the messages, which activates, both the left and right brain and helps to make the connection between positive emotions, thoughts, words and actions.

"We film real kids, not actors, in real life scenarios." she said.

Lee attributes her own development to her mother, who taught her children to see the wonderful things in life despite circumstances.

"My entire family was nearly killed in a car accident and my father and brother were in the hospital for several months, " said Lee. "She was the one who kept us all going."

Lee is currently looking for funding to continue her project, and hopes that the Parents' Choicewill help her achieve her goals.

"I have enough material for several more DVDs," she said.

For more information visit www.ibelieveinme.tv