Are you noticing signs of low self esteem in your students too? I know I am - it comes out in all kinds of ways. I'll share some of the signs I often notice in a bit! I've found that in order for our students to succeed in school, they do need to overcome self-esteem barriers. I do think this is perhaps slightly more challenging when students are older as self-talk can be deeply ingrained by this point. But more importantly, I think helping students develop character is seriously overlooked in secondary schools especially. That's why, not only do I like to use my tutor period / home room time every day to develop these skills, but I also tackle it in every day lessons too!
​Here are some of the signs of low self-esteem I notice in my teenage students:
• They can be pessimistic and negative in their outlook
• They put themselves down with negative self-talk
• They compare themselves to others in negative ways
• They don't seem proud of their achievements
What other signs have you noticed? I came up with about 15 things in my self-esteem resource! You can catch a glimpse of the PowerPoint below:
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​Here are some things I do with my students to help build their resilience and grit, I hope they help you!
Stop and swap
Get them to start recognising when they hear negative self-talk and then replace it with something like the power of "yet". Here's an example that I hear a lot:
Student: "I can't draw... I can't do this... It's too hard."
Me: "Maybe you think you can't draw YET, but try out these tricks I just showed you and see how you get on!"
You might find you have to start doing it for them at first like I had to, just so they can get used to recognising the sound and frequency of their own self-talk. For some this will be a completely new thing for them. I have also encouraged my students to do this for each other too in a supportive way. I'll suddenly hear "Ah- ah- ah- ah- remember... YET!" while students are working together! It's actually really sweet watching them do this for each other! I've discovered that by helping my students gain self-awareness that they are speaking negatively about themselves, it makes a big difference in helping them develop some grit and resilience in all areas of their lives, not just in the classroom.
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Celebrate and succeed
Secondly, I like to encourage my students to focus on their achievements. I've noticed students with self-esteem issues often can't appreciate their own success. Therefore it's important to get them reflecting on how far they've come and display it somewhere where they can be proudly reminded every day. For example, I have my students create a "success banner" that can either be displayed up in the classroom, or they can even take it home if they prefer to keep it more private. This banner highlights 5 things they are really proud of (not just academically) and then one goal they are working towards next!
So, whenever they try to tell themselves that they can't do something or that they're worthless, I just point at their banner and say - really? Look at all the amazing things you have done! You can do anything you put your mind to! They may mope their head around for a bit at first (teenagers, tsk - lol) but after when I walk away and leave them to it, they do tend to pick themselves back up and get hustling! I think they just need that reminder. We may have to do it for them at first, but eventually I've seen that they start having more self-awareness and begin to recognise when they're speaking negatively about themselves and can take steps to "stop and swap". It's at that point that their independence and resilience really starts to bloom!
If you want some resources to implement straight away in your classroom on self-esteem and resilience, you can check out my Character Education lessons below. They all come with a PowerPoint, Printables and Task Cards!
If you want some resources to implement straight away in your classroom on self-esteem and resilience, you can check out my Character Education lessons below. They all come with a PowerPoint, Printables and Task Cards!
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​Thanks for reading :) If you liked this post, leave a comment below or share it out!
I truly believe if we help our students battle the negative self-talk on a daily basis, then we will really see a significant increase in both their attainment and emotional well-being.
​For more on how I teach Character to teens, check out this page!
If you are interested in self esteem colouring pennants, you can download some for free below:
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