|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
grdgrdgfgrtretrereSuppose you have a child showing aggression, tension and hostility. Can you discern whether the ridicule, distrust and anger are coming from peers, staff or family? What balancing experiences can you bring about for the child if you have no power over the sources? What works? is the $64000 question on the lips of therapeutic educators, clinicians and child care workers. The ideas that follow have been effective in my experience with pre-schoolers through teens, over the past ten years, among both the affluent and inner-city child. If you have already incorporated self-enhancing techniques in your work, affirm your self as a builder of self-esteem. Some ideas may be new and even viewed with scepticism; if so, give yourself "try out" time. If you find they contribute to your goals of building self-esteem, then incorporate them; a not, replace them with your own ideas — and consider sharing them with others in this journal. Look at me: I'm bad Children with inadequate self-esteem frequently perceive themselves as failures, bad or helpless. On contact with an adult new to them, they may do all in their power to get you to see them as badly as they see themselves. If you agree with this self-image, then they can employ the copout: "This is the way I am, therefore I can't or don't have to change." I will take some examples of this from a group of six to nine-year-olds with whom I've worked this past year. One looked for negative strokes through abusive language, another through playing the 'group clown' role, and a third through acting out destructive behaviour. Andy spent the first three days writing obscene words at the top of his papers, knowing this is part of what helped remove him from public school, and expecting to repeat his negative image in his new situation. Each day I ignored the correctly spelled obscene words and affirmed Andy for his excellent work, asking him if he wanted "magnificent," "tremendous," "great", "super", "neat job", or "marvellous" at the top of his page. He chose and noticeably registered good feeling about his achievement. His game of hooking people into negative attention failed, and of his own initiative he changed. Consequently the self-image he articulated even on the first day I worked with him ("All I'm good for is hurting people!") was already needing revision. Next comes the group's 'clown'. It's music time. The children are singing to my guitar accompaniment. Edward scoots behind the chair, and gradually registering disbelief that his name is not called. Instead, I affirmed the other children for their contribution to the good sound. Since their enjoyment and esteem needs were met, they did not attend to the clown game.
Approximate Word count = 1789
Approximate Pages = 7.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|