Yourself

(During the summer months, I like to take the A-Z Challenge and come up with words alphabetically and see how they apply to education. I think it’s a great exercise for teachers and students to give this a try.)

People may a big effort to treat others well but at times, don’t treat themselves the same way. It is important to be kind to others, but you also need to be kind to yourself.

I know that it is important to get students to think about others but we also should help students love themselves.

When you love yourself (I’m not talking about a super-ego personality), it shows in your body language and your tone of voice. You stand up straighter and you look at people instead of the floor. You have confidence when you are around others.

The other day, one of our young students came to school with a shirt that said, “If you are looking for awesome, you found it!” What a great saying!

People who feel good about themselves are willing to have open minds. They can listen to different perspectives before making a decision. Those who don’t feel good about themselves immediately go on the defensive when hearing different perspectives.

If you feel good about yourself, you are willing to take a risk and try to learn something new. You know if you fail, it is just an opportunity to try again but in a different way. You don’t give up. You are willing to ask for help when you need it because asking for help doesn’t mean you are stupid or weak.

If someone makes an error, you are supportive and encouraging to them. But if you make an error, it feels like the end of the world. An error should not be a terror! You should be supportive and encouraging to yourself in the same way you would be to someone else.

If you feel good about yourself, you are willing to work with others. You know that many times, there is strength in numbers. For example, if you take one strand of dried spaghetti, it breaks in half easily. But if you take the who pack of dried spaghetti and hold them together, they are much harder to break in half.

Trade those negative saying to yourself for positive ones. When you hear the words in your head, stop what you are doing and rewind those thoughts. Replace them with positive words immediately. Before long, you won’t need to rewind as often.

How do you help students feel good about themselves? Please share.

Photo by Taylor Smith on Unsplash