In Support of Children: The Thin Veil of Self-Confidence
As a long-time teacher, school leader, and parent, I can personally and professionally attest to the fragility of the human spirit.
That’s because I have been there, along with you and the rest of us. One minute we believe we can change the world and the next minute we are ready to give up on it. The thin veil of self-confidence that envelopes each of us, and our children in particular, brings into question the propriety and opportunity we have as educators in the words that we use and the actions that we take.
For just a moment, let us all think back as far as we can remember, for it is there among memories pieced together that we might recall the first time someone suggested that we could be good at something, that we had some sort of future, some sort of gift that was unique unto us.
In recent years, I can recall my son riding a wave of pride and self-importance brought upon by his English teacher’s kind words in calling him one of the best writers in his class. I’m not really sure if he was or was not and I’m certain that it mattered. What mattered was his reaction. Suddenly, the kid was Shakespeare.
I had watched my son struggle with his writing countless times and stare at the computer screen in disgust and frustration. Even our feedback to him as his parents and pats on the back through the years had not amounted to much improvement. That was, until his teacher said something positive.
That same evening, and for many months thereafter, my son would come home from school and work on some kind of writing assignment, calling out to us to “come quick” and read this or that because, you know, “My teacher says I am one the best writers there is.”