One of the most difficult tasks for any teacher, whether beginner or experienced, is building self-esteem in students who clearly show a low level of confidence. The older the student, the more we struggle to build up his/her self-esteem, since we have to overcome several years of low personal opinion. The factors which cause low self-esteem are numerous and probably known to all of us: negative family atmosphere, absence of role models, taunting by peers, and lack of opportunities to demonstrate one’s real skills.
The components of self-esteem are four: what he/she thinks of their personal value, the kind of work they do and its consequences, personal achievements or lack thereof, and, most importantly, what they believe other people think of them. Simply talking to the students with positive words will never be sufficient; the task requires the following from all teachers:
Observe and Evaluate
Pay attention to each child’s demeanor. Their non-verbal language almost always reveals their attitude towards themselves. Are they slouching, keeping their head down, not looking at you in the eye, isolated, very few or no friends, or are they defiant, strutting with an apparently superior attitude?
The defiant child has not learned to trust adults, sometimes with good reasons. The isolated (from all other students) child may have been abused, or severely taunted as inferior, as dumb, as unskilled, by previous teachers (it happens, unfortunately) and by peers.
Regaining Trust
Your task as a teacher is to gain their trust, an arduous task indeed. Allow me the recent example of a diffident student who finally granted me his trust. I met Javier (not his name) approximately 2 years ago in my high school where he arrived as a shy, timorous freshman. After observing him for 3 months, I noticed that he occasionally wore the shirt of a famous Mexican soccer team. Since I am a former player, I thought I had found the key to his mental door of trust.
I started making conversation with him, after helping him out with his English essay, and discovered that the team he really admired was the Spanish Barcelona. I began mentioning some of the key players and how well the team had played that Sunday. Little by little, he opened up to me, until I discovered that he felt neglected in his family because he was the “sandwich” brother. He now confides in me by retelling almost every incident about his personal life. His grades are going up at the same time he accepts who he is and what he can and cannot do.
Successful Tasks, The Key To Self-Esteem
Any student can experience success in school, even when their low level of intelligence presents serious obstacles. Some of the disabled children (Learning Disabled, Health Impairments, Physical Disabilities, etc.) are especially susceptible to low self-esteem. They even believe that they incapable of learning. “I am dumb,” is an expression that I have heard too often.
We, the teachers, have the mission to devise tasks that less gifted children can perform successfully. If these accomplishments are followed by congratulations (sincere and genuine), the student’s self-esteem will shoot up immediately. Too often, schools and teachers devise lesson plans that expect the same from every child. That is a very serious mistake. We must differentiate not only in the way we present the material, but also adapt it to the time some students take to finish.
See Them Outside Of School
All children love physical and/or artistic activity and schools provide them with multiple opportunities. Take the time to go to their games or activities after school. You have no idea how happy they are to see their teacher on the sideline or in the audience. Talk to the parents and tell them how much progress Adrian has made in the last few weeks. They in turn will mention this to the student who will feel elated that his/her teacher talked to their parents in such a positive manner.
Patience and Time, Time and Patience
Yes, the task is arduous; do not expect immediate results. Do not even expect positive results in every case. Some children may have been damaged too much and need expert help (psychological). For every student for whom you have made a difference, there are many others who need your attention, your patience, and your time. Isn’t teaching wonderful?
By: J.C. Sprenger
Posts Tagged ‘Consequences’
Ways to Build Students’ Self-Esteem
March 21st, 20106 Common Teacher Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
December 30th, 2009
When you get a call from a school administrator inviting you to interview for a teaching job, how do you feel? Happy? Elated? Excited? Nervous? Scared stiff?
You don’t need to worry about the interview if you’re a well-prepared, qualified candidate. Preparing for a teaching interview is a lot like studying for a test. You can review commonly asked questions, think about what you’ll say beforehand, and go in to do your best. If you prepare beforehand, the interview questions will seem routine and familiar. You’ll have answers on the tip of your tongue, ready-to-go.
Below is a list of six commonly asked teacher interview questions from my eBook, Guide to Getting the Teaching Job of Your Dreams. How would you answer each question?
1. Tell us about yourself.
This will be the first question at almost every interview. Just give a brief background in about three sentences. Tell them what colleges you graduated from, what you’re certified to teach, what your teaching & working experiences are, and why you’d love the job.
2. How do you teach to the state standards?
If you interview in the United States, school administrators love to talk about state, local, or national standards! Reassure your interviewer that everything you do ties into standards. Be sure the lesson plans in your portfolio have the state standards typed right on them. When they ask about them, pull out your lesson and show them the close ties between your teaching and the standards.
3. How will you prepare students for standardized assessments?
There are standardized assessments at almost every grade level. Be sure you know the names of the tests. Talk about your experiences preparing students. You’ll get bonus points if you know and describe the format of the test because that will prove your familiarity.
4. Describe your discipline philosophy.
You use lots of positive reinforcement. You are firm, but you don’t yell. You have appropriate consequences for inappropriate behavior. You have your classroom rules posted clearly on the walls. You set common routines that students follow. You adhere to the school’s discipline guidelines. Also, emphasize that you suspect discipline problems will be minimal because your lessons are very interesting and engaging to students. Don’t tell the interviewer that you “send kids to the principal’s office” whenever there is a problem. You should be able to handle most discipline problems on your own. Only students who have committed very serious behavior problems should be sent to the office.
5. How do you make sure you meet the needs of a student with an IEP?
An IEP is an “individualized education plan.” Students with special needs will be given an IEP, or a list of things that you must do when teaching the child. An IEP might include anything from “additional time for testing” to “needs all test questions read aloud” to “needs to use braille textbook.” How do you ensure you’re meeting the needs of a student with an IEP? First, read the IEP carefully. If you have questions, consult a special education teacher, counselor, or other staff member who can help you. Then, you just make sure you follow the requirements on the IEP word for word. When necessary, you may be asked to attend a meeting in which you can make suggestions for updating the IEP. Your goal, and the goal of the IEP, is to make sure the student has whatever he or she needs to be successful in your class.
6. How do you communicate with parents?
This question will come up at almost every elementary school interview. It’s fairly common in the middle school and high school as well. You might have a weekly parent newsletter that you send home each week. For grades 3 and up, you may require students to have an assignment book that has to be signed each night. This way, parents know what assignments are given and when projects are due. When there are discipline problems you call home and talk to parents. It’s important to have an open-door policy and invite parents to share their concerns at any time.
For more teacher interview questions, I invite you to download my eBook Getting the Teaching Job of Your Dreams ( http://www.iwantateachingjob.com ). In it you will find 50 common interview questions and answers as well as practical advice for getting the teaching job you want.
By: Tim W
