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on the other hand, are meaningful to them. Toward that end, let the student know in specific terms
what you like about her work or behavior. If she is progressing slowly, praise her for small steps
forward. If you sense that she's uncomfortable being praised in front of her classmates, tell her in
private or in a note.
2. Show the student tangible evidence of progress. Expressing confidence in a student's ability
is important; pep talks alone might not be enough, however. Help the student appreciate her own
improvement by pointing to concrete signs of growth -- perhaps by taping an oral reading at the
beginning of the year and comparing it to a later performance, by showing her papers from earlier in
the year and contrasting them with later papers, or by demonstrating that the math problems she
struggled with during the first marking period now come easily to her. You might also have the
student place in a box index cards with spelling or reading words she has mastered.
3. Showcase her accomplishments. You might read one of the student's compositions to the
class, display her artwork on a bulletin board, have her demonstrate how to do a math problem, or,
in the case of an ESL student, invite her to speak to the class in her first language. If the student has
a particular hobby or interest, suggest that she talk to the class about it. If necessary, have her
rehearse her talk in advance.
4. Help the student feel important in class. You might give the student an important classroom
job or find ways in which she can help others. Tell her you are giving her the responsibility because
you are confident she can do it well. For example: have the student take care of the class rabbit,
deliver lunch money to the office, collect homework, help another student with a computer
problem, read aloud the school's morning announcements, answer the school phone while the
secretary is at lunch, or tutor a student in a lower grade.
5. Engage the student in conversation about her interests. A student can gain self-esteem from
involvement in activities she cares about. Find a few minutes every day to talk with her about her
favorite hobbies, sports, television programs, or musical groups. If necessary, ask her parents for the
information you need as a basis for talking with her. Suggest to the student ways in which she can
pursue her interests in greater depth. You might even bring in a book or item from home related to
one of her interests.
6. Help the student deal with adversity. If the student encounters academic difficulties, help
her appreciate that failure is a normal part of learning and that everyone experiences disappointment
or frustration at some point. You might tell her that Lincoln lost seven elections before being
elected president of the United States, or that Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times during his career.
Acknowledge the student's frustration, and then move on to help her develop strategies for
improvement. Express your confidence that --with hard work and your support -- she is likely to
succeed.
7. Encourage a sense of belonging. Students with low self-esteem often are isolated from their
classmates. You can promote a student's peer involvement with others by finding ways to integrate
her into activities that are take place both in and out of school. You might organize a group activity
that includes her. Or ask a couple of friendly and accepting students to spend time with her during
recess or lunch. If students pair up for class activities, assign the student a kind and easygoing
partner. You also might want to encourage the student's parents to arrange additional social contacts
with classmates, perhaps suggesting potential playmates.
8. Inform parents of their child's successes. Teachers are quick to let parents know when their
child has a problem. They are not nearly as diligent about notifying parents when their child is
successful. Consider sending home a note or calling parents when their child does something
noteworthy. Tell the student you are doing it. The gesture might take only a couple of minutes, but
it can brighten the student's day and engender positive responses from the parents to their child [8;
30-31].
Self-esteem is important in and out of the classroom. Teachers and parents can support self-
esteem by remembering some of the following:
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1. Always accentuate the positive. Do you ever notice those suffering from a low self- esteem
tend to focus on the negative? You'll hear statements like: 'Oh, I was never any good at that. 'I can't
keep friends'. This actually indicates that this person needs to like themselves more!
2. Give children the opportunity to tell you 10 things they like about themselves. Prompt them
to state things they can do well, things they feel good about. You will be surprised at how many
children suffering with low self-esteem have difficulty with this task - you'll need to provide
prompts. (This is also a great beginning of the year activity)
3. Avoid criticism. Those suffering with low self-esteem struggle the most when given
criticism. Be sensitive to this.
4. Always remember that self-esteem is about how much children feel valued, appreciated,
accepted, loved and having a good sense of self worth. Having a good self-image.
5. Understand that as parents and teachers, you play one of the biggest roles in how good or
bad a child can feel about themselves - again, avoid criticism. Influence from a parent or teacher
can make and break a child's sense of self-esteem.
6. Expectations must always be realistic. This goes along with setting children up for success. .
7. See the learning in errors or mistakes. Turn mistakes inside out and focus on what was or
will be learned from the mistake. This helps a child focus on the positive, not the negative. Remind
students that everyone makes mistakes but it's how those mistakes are handled that makes the
difference. We need to see them as learning opportunities. Powerful learning can often be the result
of a mistake made.
8. Self-esteem is an important component to almost everything children do. Not only will it
help with academic performance, it supports social skills and makes it easier for children to have
and keep friends. Relationships with peers and teachers are usually more positive with a healthy
dose of self-esteem. Children are also better equipped to cope with mistakes, disappointment and
failure, they are more likely to stick with challenging tasks and complete learning activities. Self-
esteem is needed life-long and we need to remember the important role we play to enhance or
damage a child's self-esteem [9].
In order to promote a student’s self-esteem, we as teachers/instructors must continue to show
how much we care. In our caring, we find out what interests the student. We must also take the
opportunity to share our interests as well. Students, in turn, begin to care about us as individuals
whom they look up to because they realize we are there to foster not only academic growth but
them as persons.
We must also continue to listen. Unfortunately, in today’s world, we have a lot of students
who come from broken homes or from homes where their parents are uninvolved in their lives.
Many students don’t have someone to listen to them or to even ask how their day was at school. As
it is well noted, families don’t even share meals at the kitchen table any more. As a result, we have
to allow opportunities in class for students to engross in positive conversation with us and with their
peers. Sometimes, it’s okay to allow students to ―talk off the topic‖ because these presenting issues
tend to be at the forefront of their minds. When students are allowed the opportunity to release
frustrations in a positive way, they then can have time to allow learning to take place.
We, as educators, should also allow students to engross themselves in areas that will promote
or foster successful community-minded individuals. By providing after-school activities, art,
athletic, and music programs, students begin to develop into the adults who will work to achieve a
common goal and not go against it. Let’s promote students’ ideas by helping them to develop them
and by showing them how what interests them can make for successful topics for class assignments
as well as possible career interests. The more students realize that we care about their interests, the
more their minds will grow, which eventually promotes self-esteem. There’s nothing quite like
watching a student realize that he or she can do something, do it well, and feel good about
him/herself in the process.
Bibliography:
1. Sue Watson «Self-Esteem comes first»;
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