By Rae Largura -
When I think about my children at school seven hours a day, it becomes apparent that teachers and the school environment play a major role in shaping our children. In specific, I wonder, how much is self esteem valued in our schools?
Self esteem, “The overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth”, is an important building block to almost everything children do. When a child feels good about himself, he is more likely to put more effort into the task at hand, he is more likely to be kinder to others, and he will be more resilient of challenges. When a child feels liked by others it gives him a sense of belonging, or personal importance. When a child feels confident academically, he will feel achievement. Achievement breeds success.
Dr. Nathaniel Branden is a renowned lecturer and writer on self-esteem. He stresses that a strong disposition, or self-esteem is one who feels worthy of happiness. When one has the confidence to think, learn, choose and make appropriate decisions, self-esteem is acting out.
I believe that self-esteem is pertinent to happiness. Thus, I feel strongly that it should be valued and taught in our classrooms. It would be responsible for schools to teach our children how to love themselves and how to make themselves happy, without relying on outside things and people. Here a just a few ideas on some ways to blend self-esteem into our classrooms:
1. Give a child a “little buddy” so he can teach what he knows to someone younger.
2. Give a child the chance to earn the good grade, a lunch with his teacher or a longer recess.
3. Let a child fail at something. Give him a chance to learn from the opportunity.
4. Give a child verbal rewards for kind, generous, or thoughtful behavior.
5. Give a child a responsibility of which fulfilling it is a sure thing. Set her up to succeed.
We gain self-esteem through time and experiences. It is developed through a series of choices and decisions. When we are given a challenge, and we push ourselves to problem solve, get creative, feel the stress and work through the stress, our psychology changes. When the outcome is accomplishment and learning, we get a good dose of self-esteem.
What if a teacher could take a few minutes away from her curriculum to notice each child? We need the help of our school and teachers. Seven hours a day for 9 months is a large chunk of growth opportunity. We need all the support possible to guide our children into self-happiness and self-success. It takes a village of love to pave the road for a child’s happy independence.
Rae Largura
Leading Edge Tutors
Santa Barbara, California
http://www.LeadingEdgeTutors.com
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