Answer: Self-Esteem and Self-Concept -- Question: What are Pass-Along Strategies?
What do we mean by "Pass-Along" Self-Esteem and Self-Concept Strategies?
Answer: This means that the first step for teachers in supporting improved self-esteem and self-concept of their students is to "work on themselves."
How can a teacher give what they do not have?
Faulty self-esteem in teachers prevents them from seeing the innate good and the innate value of each student. Faulty self-esteem is replaced by positive self-esteem when we treat others (and ourselves) with dignity and respect.
Sidebar
What is the difference between "self-esteem" and "self-concept?"
The words are most often used interchangeably. So, in practical use, there is no difference.
However, the word "esteem" refers to the "feeling" that one has about one's self; while "self-concept" refers to the attitudes, thoughts and beliefs that one has about one's self.
Both terms also refer to a process of increasing the positive value of these feelings, attitudes, beliefs and values so that the person feels, acts, thinks in a positive manner about themselves, and the statements that they make to themselves about themselves also are positive.
Self-esteem and self-concept, in their early stages, and the stages where young people are in school reflect (mirror) the situations, relationships and reactions that the students experience in their world.
Later, as adults, most people shake at least part of the outward-only basis for self-esteem and self-concept, and base some of their self-esteem and self-concept upon Intrapersonal (self referred) information.
This transformation from an infant (being parent directed), to being peer-group driven (reaches its height at about Middle School age),to being one's own person (maybe [hopefully] by around the age of 18) is the journey to maturity.
But outward events can batter and pound the self-esteem and self-concept of some students. Sometimes self-esteem and self-concept development is "arrested" and the student seems locked into feelings, attitudes and beliefs befitting an earlier age.
We say that individuals that are locked into feeling, thinking and behaving in non-age-appropriate ways are "immature."
Of course, if the student masters the feelings, attitudes and beliefs that occur from environmental pounding (because either the hits were mild, there was a protecting force such as a parent or teacher, or the student had high Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Intelligence) we say that they have positive self-esteem and positive self-concept.
Can We have too Much Self-Esteem?
Can we have too much self-esteem?
Answer: "No."
What people label as conceit, bravado, megalomania…people who are "too full of themselves" is actually the opposite of self-esteem. These asocial behaviors stem, in large part, from a low level of self-esteem and minimal level of self-concept.
The higher one's self-esteem and self-concept, the more positive one's feelings, attitudes, beliefs and self-talk about others.
This seems to describe the Master Teacher.
How Self-Esteem and Self-Concept is "Pass Along"
Self-esteem and Self-Concept are "pass along" because "actions and attitudes speak louder than words." This means that a lecture about why students should feel, think and believe better about themselves will be ineffective. Telling students that they should have positive self-esteem and self-concept is next to useless…producing minimal effect and minimal student "change for the better."
But, teachers modeling the traits and attributes of self-esteem and self-concept from a place of congruence in one's own self, and, treating students with consideration, value and honor are contagious.
Of course, some students will respond with immediate positive regard for themselves, and it is rewarding to watch them blossom. But, other students (the ones where life has provided so many "hits" and where support system from significant others are lacking) will take more time before positive self-esteem and positive self-concept can be internally self-nurtured.
These are the students that everyone else has "written off" as "total losses& that bring so much joy to the Master Teacher. Teachers finding ever supporting positive esteem and the positive attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, ideals and values in themselves; their actions, their body language and their intuitive sense of timing bring positive feelings, attitudes, beliefs and actions in the "hard to reach" students.
This "pass along" process may take time, but improving the quality of life of a student by "coloring their person positive" is worth the patience that is required.
And where does this patience come from?
Answer: It bubbles up, gushes, then overflows from the positive self-esteem and the positive self-concept of the teacher.
Have you nurtured your self-esteem and self-concept today?
