Self-Concept/Self-Esteem

Preschool

What We Saw: During a small group art project teachers were heard saying, "Thank you."
"That was nice of you to help your friend."
"Hi, can I get a hug from you?"
"Wow, I like that."
"That's your name!"
"Oh, you did a good job. I'm going to set these by you so you won't forget them."
"Wow, you're using lots of colors."
The children responded to these words with smiles, giggles, renewed interest in their work, proud looks on their faces and friendly chatter among themselves.

What It Means: This classroom was nurturing an atmosphere of respect between the teachers and children. Positive, supportive, individualized relationships with adults enhance self-concept and promote optimal development in all areas of development. Teachers were expressing their respect for and affection toward the children by smiling, touching and speaking to children during this art activity. In return the children showed respect towards the teachers and other children. Research confirms that feeling love and respect for children is not enough: affection and respect must be communicated to the child! Respect must be observable.

Toddlers

What We Saw: The teacher started circle time and was about to hand out stuffed toy monkeys to accompany the story. She had a story on tape about monkeys, but the tape player wouldn't working. Trying to fix it, she noticed the children were getting restless. So she gave the bag of monkeys to a girl in the class, asking her to hand them out to the group. The girl took this responsibility seriously, slowly walking around the circle handing a stuffed monkey to each child, saying, "Monkey for you, here." The rest of the children watched attentively as she went to each child. Some children that had left the group even came back to receive a monkey from her. At this point, the teacher had the tape player ready, but waited while the girl finished her job. Then the teacher said, "Thank You, you did a great job, and helped me out a lot."

What It Means: Children love to do chores around the classroom. This can boost their self-esteem as they begin to identify themselves as a competent and responsible member of the group. The teacher created this chore for a different purpose: because she was struggling to fix the radio and needed to distract her impatient group! But when she noticed how seriously and well the girl did the task, the teacher gave it respect by waiting patiently herself, until the final monkey was passed out. This was a wonderful moment, and a smart (and observant) teacher who avoided interfering with the learning that was taking place.

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