Rae Largura: Self-Esteem in the Classroom

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/020410_rae_largura_self-esteem_in_the_classroom/

By Rae Largura

Teachers play a big role in fostering confidence — and happiness — in children

It’s 3:30 in the afternoon and my child jumps in the car after a long day at school and says, “Mom, I’m the fastest runner in my grade! Oh, and I got a 100 percent on my spelling test!”

When I think about my children at school seven hours a day, it becomes apparent that teachers play a major role in their self-esteem.

Self-esteem, “the overall evaluation of his or her own worth,” is an important building block to almost everything children do.

When children feel good about themselves, they are more likely to put more effort into the task at hand, they are more likely to be kinder to others and they will be more resilient of challenges.

When children feel liked by others, it gives them a sense of belonging, or personal importance. When children feel confident academically, they will feel achievement. Achievement breeds success.

Self-esteem might be the single biggest factor to happiness. Could that be? Do we have that much power in how are children turn out? How important is teaching self-esteem in the classroom? Can we, as parents, foster and ingrain self-esteem at home, or do we need the help of our schools and teachers?

Dr. Nathaniel Branden, a renowned lecturer and writer on self-esteem, defines self esteem as the “disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with the basic challenges of life, and as being worthy of happiness. Thus, it consists of two components: (1) self-efficacy: confidence in one’s ability to think, learn, choose and make appropriate decisions; and (2) self-respect: confidence that love, friendship, achievement and success — in a word, happiness — are natural.”

Branden also stresses that self-esteem is absorbed more than taught. We can support and influence self-responsibility, self-efficacy and self-respect. We can help children become more aware of these elements that teach them how to be happy.

So, can we as parents foster this, or do we need the help of the classrooms? The answer is both. And very much both.

It takes a village of love to pave the road for a child’s happy independence.

— Rae Largura is president of Leading Edge Tutors.

http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/020410_rae_largura_self-esteem_in_the_classroom/