Helping students believe in themselves
SCHOOL should let students realized that they have the all the capacity to be what they want to be. One academic article online says , “as educators, the most important— and rewarding—part of our work is to recognize the vast potential within our students and to help them see it within themselves, and then support them in reaching that potential.
All individuals, as reiterated by Gardner in his multi-intelligence theory, have potentials to succeed. If students take this into their hearts by seeing their talents and skills and recognizing their strengths, they will develop an attitude of self-confidence which springs from their positive belief in themselves. Belief in oneself is associated with the concept of self-efficacy. According to Dixson, self-efficacy is the “can” phase of a task, whereas hope is the “will” phase. In other words, believing that one can accomplish a goal is vital to developing the will to do so. Research on self-efficacy suggests that building on past successes is central to believing in one’s ability to achieve in the future, as is seeing others around you succeed. However, some students may not have many accomplishments to pull upon, or they may be growing up in an environment or society where, due to circumstances beyond their control, opportunities are scarce, obstacles are abundant, and success feels elusive.
Developing belief in oneself takes a process. Teachers cannot just tell students to believe in themselves and that’s it. It is an attitude hence students must have experiences and influences that will build up this attitude. This is what makes it difficult to acquire especially by students who face lots of problems at home and in school. Public school students in the country face a greater challenge because of various problems they have. Poverty is a foremost problem of students in the public school. This problem affects the attitude of students because their impoverished situation unconsciously make them feel inferior to people who are welloff. Poverty also denies them many of their needs and wants so it affects their view of themselves and their family. Family problem is another big problem many of our students have. I have known many students whose families have broken up and this affect the social aspect of their lives.
Belief in oneself overwhelms the “loser” concept that is so popular among the youth today. Once labeled a loser, a student thinks he/she is not capable to succeed at anything. That is why they do not participate in class discussions, they do not express their opinions, and try to distance themselves from people who they think are out of their “losers’ league.” So one important theme that eradicates this “loser” concept is hope. According to a research, hope is about one’s ability to achieve goals. It has been linked to greater academic achievement, creativity, and problem-solving skills, as well as less depression and anxiety. If students can cultivate hope—by believing in their potential success and examining how their current behaviors may affect their future, then they might engage more in school and persevere towards a more ambitious goal, especially when the road to that goal gets rocky.
Teachers are tasked to build the confidence of students. That is why the teachers’ manner of teaching and dealing with students are important in the teaching process. “We cannot treat our students as ‘other people’s children,’” writes Duncan-Andrade. “Their pain is our pain.”
Every student deserves the chance and has the right to explore his or her glorious potential. Helping our students to believe in themselves when perhaps no one else does and working with them to cultivate hope where seemingly there is none are two of the greatest gifts educators can offer to our youth. Students might forget many of the theories and concepts they learn from school but the attitude developed will certainly remain. If they learn to believe in themselves and continue to be hopeful, they will surely succeed.