Monday, June 11, 2007 6:27 AM
by
jtspencer
should we teach self-esteem?
I am torn between believing that students need to learn about self-esteem and that students need to get past the idea of it.
On one hand, I see students who have been knocked down by life, told by parents that they are dumb and bullied by peers. Those students need to see self-value and self-worth. They need a positive note, some practical positive feedback on their work and a sense of security in a classroom. School, for them, needs to be a safe haven.
On the other hand, I am leery of the emphasis on self-esteem. After awhile, it gets selfish (even the term "myspace" jars me a bit). What about "others-esteem?" What if the solution is learning how to show some esteem and respect for the community?
I'm not sure what the solution is. There is a part of me that thinks service learning helps. This way, they learn others-esteem and have more of a reason to feel better about themselves. When a student helps others out, the sense of self-efficacy and self-respect seem to flow naturally from the act of selflessness.