Pamela M. Fowler
Low self esteem runs rampant in our classrooms. With many of our children this can undermine their ability to succeed in school. Young students try desperately to hide their ___, by over compensating. Lack of self confidence can show in various forms. The child who talks insistently, the young girls who flirts with every male that crosses her path, the boy who just doesn’t seem to leave your side, and the student who sits quietly at his/her desk and never causes a problem are all calling to us and saying ‘I don’t think I am worth anything. Notice me so that I will feel okay about myself for a moment.’ These kids need their self esteem boosted. As teachers we see the children a lot, sometimes even more than their own families. We have the power (yes it is actually power) to either build a kid’s confidence or totally destroy it. Some teachers and teaching staff do not believe that by the way we react of ignore a child, we are making some sort of impression on them. We need to be conscience of this power and purposely boost their self esteem in our children, individually as well as a whole class. Following are some suggestions for doing both. These suggestions are not time consuming or 45 minute class activities. Rather they are simple and subtle ways to foster self esteem in you students. Shy or withdrawn child:
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1. Initiate conversation by saying Hello (not How are you?), pat him/her on the shoulder as you walk by.
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2. Pair him/her up with a more outgoing child in practice drills.
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3. Ask him/her to help you in the classroom often.
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Clinging Child
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1. Give him/her something personal, from your desk, to keep at theirs.
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2. Hold a conversation with the child only if he/she has completed 85% of the work. Make this known to the child.
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3. Initiate conversation with the child only if it is evident that he/she has not been bothersome. Make the conversation short and pat him/her on the shoulder upon conclusion and praise him/her on accomplishment.
Giver Upper
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1. Establish a positive goal for completing a specific amount of work, followed by a verbal reward.
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2. Insist the child make conscience daily decisions and verbalize his/her decisions to you before goal is accomplished or attempted.
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3. Praise the student of individual accomplishments on a regular basis.
Fostering self esteem as a class:
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1. Decorate the room with students work.
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2. Develop a class slogan and use it often.
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3. Measure each student’s height and weight and keep a record of it on a monthly basis.
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4. Spontaneously praise the class for minor accomplishments on a daily basis.
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5. Say one positive thing to every child in your classroom twice or three times a day, EVERYDAY.
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6. Walk around the class and pat each child on the shoulder or back or head, include a wink or a smile.
Full Class Activities Day 17-29: Refer to Bibliography