Schools and Teachers:
Preventing at Risk Students of
Low Self-Esteem From Being
Left Behind
By Anthony Lebbad
Self-esteem and Schools
 Schools can offer alternative support so that the child is
equipped to develop a safeguard to cope with life stresses
 It is a student’s self-esteem and resiliency to these
contributors that affects their ability to succeed.
 Self-esteem is generally considered to be a person’s
measure of his or her own worth and competence
(McDonnall, and Crudden, 2009).
 Student’s belief in themselves and their abilities is a
tremendous protective factor against the different
components that put them at risk.
School Connectedness
 Schools and teachers have the capabilities to help students harness and
develop their self-esteem
 Early interventions lead to gains for children, particularly those at risk
of low achievement (Evangelou, Brooks, and Smith, 2007).
 recognizing low self-esteem at an early onset or the factors that may
contribute, teachers and schools can help an at-risk child further
succeed
 It is critical to recognize when a student is suffering from low selfesteem and as a teacher one should know different warning signs.
 A student’s attitude toward school can have a significant effect on their
self-esteem.
 Relationships and interactions between youth and trusted adults are
one of the key mechanisms through which healthy development occurs
(Butts, Mayer, and Ruth 2005)
School ConnectednessWarning signs of low self-esteem
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Schools and its teachers need to be aware that low self-esteem is quite
common in students and know how to recognize it in order to help reach out to
students
Warnings Signs of low self-esteem in students
 Unwillingness to take risks in different areas (social, classroom, athletics)
 Tendency in a student to quit when facing a difficult or challenging task
 Clowning to relieve pressure and to hide fear and lack of confidence
 Bullying and aggressiveness-a child may feel vulnerable and responds by “going on the
offense”
 Denial, especially when students refuse to admit their unhappiness, insecurity, or
intimidation
 Procrastination in attempts to avoid a challenging task, or impulsive behavior to just ‘get
the task over with’
(Mulholland, p. 36, 2008).
School ConnectednessImplementations
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Teachers need to support students and inform parents of different warning signs of low
or negative self-esteem. When parents are informed they can watch for the warning
signs and be aware.
Children are in a school setting more waking hours during their day than outside of
school or any other setting. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a connection for students
to school.
In fact, higher school connectedness related to lower stress and higher social confidence
(Rice, Kang, Weaver, and Howell 2008)
If teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, or administrators show an interest in a student
and develop a relationship with them the student may feel more self-worth and
motivation to strive further
Teachers can use classroom management routines that establish consistency in
expectations in regards to student attendance and behavior (Cox and Williams, 2008)
Teachers may be trained to increase opportunities for students and their involvement
within the classroom and school
They should reward students for their involvement, and encourage cooperative learning
and interactions among students
Bilingual Students
 For students who do not speak English as their first language, there is a
connection to low self-esteem.
 Struggles to stay on track or be typical of their peers are escalated
through their attempt to adapt to another language
 It is not uncommon for bilingual individuals with limited proficiency
in English skills to be ignored by their English-speaking peers
 Latino students make up the fastest growing group of students in
school in the United States, currently at roughly 20%, and many of
these students speak Spanish and report limited English Proficiency
(Cavazos-Rehg and Delucia-Waack, p. 47, 2009)
 Bilingual students may be mistreated or misunderstood by their
teachers. They may often be treated as “babies” or spoken to in a
condescending fashion because of their limited proficiency in English
Bilingual Students- School
Implementations
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Instruction to these students in their primary language may decrease the
disparagement towards them and may positively influence their self-esteem
According to two separate research studies that examined Mexican American
children and Chinese undergraduates at Canadian universities, those who saw
themselves as biliterate reported higher self-confidence than their monoliterate
and oral bilingual counterparts (Cavazos-Rehg and Delucia-Waack, 2009)
Yet, Just because some bilingual students may have a greater grasp in English
proficiency and culture than others, it does not mean that those other students
necessarily lack self-esteem
People that view their own ethnic group as favorable and maintain a union
within that group can also be expected to have positive feelings about
themselves and have high self-esteem
Bilingual Students- School
Implementations (continued)
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By conducting lessons that teach students about different cultures, typical
English-speaking students may be more understanding and accepting of their
bilingual peers.
If students are educated and thus considerate and sympathetic to the situation
of the bilingual students, they in turn may be more socially accepting.
By making the bilingual students comfortable in the classroom, working to
socially connect them to all students, and encouraging them to embrace their
ethnic identity, a teacher can help further appreciate themselves and strengthen
their self-esteem.
As teachers, it may be beneficial to include different multicultural aspects to a
class. Students should be aware of the different ethnicities of students in their
class and around the school
Teachers should also encourage those bilingual students to not let go of, but
embrace their ethnicity
Student Exposure to Violence
 The exposure to violence can have a serious negative
impact on a child’s self-esteem
 Children that either witness domestic violence or are
victims themselves can cause severe impact to their
behavior, health, and educational performance.
 Signs on this are likely to be visible at school, including
low self-confidence, withdrawal or anxiety, and behavioral
difficulties (Byrne and Taylor, 2007)
Student Exposure to ViolenceRecognition
 Very necessary for school personnel to understand these potential
signs, know just how to detect them, and how to provide the student
with adequate help and support
 Children that live within a violent home may imitate the behaviors they
have been exposed to when they associate at school
 Some specific problems at school may be difficulty getting along with
others, fewer interests and social activities, isolation, rebelliousness,
poor academic performance, and greater risk of drug and alcohol use
 Some children who are exposed to violence early in life experience
altered brain development, which might be demonstrated through
exaggerated reliance on the “fight or flight” response, thus causing
hyper-vigilance, difficulties sitting still, and learning problems (Byrne
and Taylor, 2007).
Student Exposure to ViolenceImplementations
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Schools have the ability to act as an ally for these students and provide a basic
protection
 But many teachers lack the ability to recognize and deal with a students’
exposure to violence.
 Teachers need to be trained in these key elements associated with violence:
(1) recognizing the signs and symptoms of domestic violence
(2) how to deal with situations encountered during home visits or in school
(3) multi-agency training clarifying individual roles
(4) how to support both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence
(5) helping children deal with the impact of domestic violence in their lives
(Byrne and Taylor, 2007).
 When teachers and schools are supportive and establish a connection for a
student, the child may feel less need to use anger and have a lower level of
trait anger (Rice, Kang, Weaver, and Howell, 2008)
Student Exposure to ViolenceImplementations (continued)
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Schools could train teachers by requiring provision through curriculum
subjects of Heath, Social, and Religious Education
Schools could also prepare staff by using role-playing skits and creating a
worry box for pupils to use if they had concerns
Knowing where to go and that the teacher is supportive of the student can
really go a long way for a child suffering from exposure to violence
This is because students may feel trapped or alone and have such low selfesteem making it pivotal for the school to reach out and provide support
Teacher alertness regarding student appearance, behavior, parental contact, and
academic progress within and outside of school is crucial to preventing and
protecting children from violence and abuse
(Byrne and Taylor, 2007)
Disabilities
 Children with disabilities may have a higher risk for low self-esteem
because there is a lot of emphasis placed on trying to ‘fix’ what they
cannot do, like walking speaking, reading (Mulholland, 2008)
 Children naturally compare themselves to other children in situations
of academics and athletics
 Since children of disabilities may have deficiencies in these areas, their
comparisons can create a negative self-esteem
 Self-esteem has been associated with positive outcomes for people
with disabilities who were served by the vocational rehabilitation
system (McDonnall and Crudden, 2009).
Disabilities- Implementations
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These students should be given the opportunity for a variety of work experiences while
they are in school so that they will have more networking and references that can help
them get a job, which could otherwise be difficult obtaining on their own because of
their disability.
Schools should give these students the opportunity to explore different types of assistive
technology in order to determine what will be the most helpful to them and should
provide them with training and equipment to assist them in the school and/or work
environment (McDonnall and Crudden, 2009).
Tips to Help boost self-esteem in a child with a disability:
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Teachers should help a child feel competent by celebrating and acknowledging his or her skills
Enhance a child’s self esteem by improving their problem solving skills
Recognize and celebrate effort not just success
Provide a child with opportunities to help others (older relatives, neighbors
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Treat mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow (Mulholland, 2008)
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Find ‘islands of competence’ and focus on the child’s natural abilities. Parents and
teachers alike need to be supportive and enthusiastic about their children’s unique
strengths and passions.
“A child’s self-esteem comes from what they are good at. Make time for them to
develop their special qualities. It is vital that children with disabilities fell competent
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and beyond their disability” (Mulholland, p. 37, 2008).
Emotional Intelligence
 By using emotional intelligence, teachers can understand students’
individual feelings and recognize when a particular student is
frustrated, excited, preoccupied, confused, upset, etc.
-This can help keep them on track and feeling positive.
 Educators that promote emotional intelligence skills emphasize the
value of positive individual differences, promote the learning of
teamwork and problem solving skills, and empower children to gain
positive social skills.
 These social skills boost student relations, mutual respect, and
engagement in classroom learning (Kaufhold and Johnson, 2003)
Emotional IntelligenceImplementations
 It is essential that teachers are conscious of their students’ emotional
intelligence but also their own personal emotional intelligence
 The motivation, excitement, enthusiasm, and care of a teacher will
really rub off on a class
 When a teacher is aware of sensitive times in the brain’s development
that affect emotional development in students it may help guide the
teachers to set high self-esteem levels in children at a young age
 A teacher’s ability to connect with students individually, excite them,
and show empathy towards them can really help develop a student’s
interest in school and self-esteem.
(Helm, 2007)
Instilling Leadership/
Community Connectedness
 Adolescent self-esteem and resilience increase when they
engage in meaningful, positive contributions not just in
school, but also to their community (Grothaus, 2004)
 Meaningful and positive activities should take place within
school as much as possible, but when students are out of
class they should continue their positive involvements
 By creating a network between schools and organizations
like the YMCA, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, there can be a
valuable connection within a community
 Teachers and schools should encourage extracurricular
activities, events, charities, and organizations.
Instilling Leadership/
Community Connectedness
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So many organizations can involve serving the common good and promoting
the welfare of local, national, and world communities and empowering others
to also make a life long commitment to the cause (Grothaus, 2004)
Teachers can help promote such an idea and advocate for it to help promote
the welfare of communities
Programs like this contain many aspects or basic goals, which can help
develop high self-esteem
All youth are capable of growing up properly and avoiding trouble if they can
be attached to a variety of social resources that facilitate healthy development
and discourage harmful behavior (Butts, Mayer, and Ruth, 2005).
Teachers and other school personnel are tremendous factors that can encourage
a child to engage in meaningful activities, influence students to strive for
goals, excite and enthuse children to learn, and develop and maintain students’
self-esteem.
Conclusion
 Children are exposed to all sorts of different factors that can contribute
to a detriment in self-image and perception
 Low self-esteem may cause children to engage in unsafe behaviors,
lose interest in school, feel helpless and lost, and give in to pressures
they may otherwise show resiliency towards.
 Having high self-esteem, in contrast, may be an asset that protects
youth from negative outcomes associated with risk exposure (Fergus
and Zimmerman, 2005)
 Fostering school connectedness with children and relationships
between school faculty and students can contribute to a student’s
interest and self-esteem in school.
Works Cited