Building healthy self esteem is one of the most important things special education teachers can do for their students. Confidence and a good attitude are paramount in achieving an individual’s full potential. If a student has a healthy attitude about their own worth and value, they will be able to achieve far more than their peers with a poor image of themselves.
Building healthy esteem in special education students will also help them to combat negative perceptions about handicapped people. There always seems to be people who are ignorant, fearful or even hateful toward disabled students. If the student is provided with the knowledge that the fault is not theirs, but lies within that other person, they will be able to withstand many negative comments.
With good self esteem a special education student can begin to help educate others about their condition. With exposure to people with mental and physical handicaps, people will learn that they are far more normal than they thought. Once the disability is fully understood, people can get over their fears and prejudices about handicapped individuals.
Building healthy esteem begins by explaining to the special education student what they can do. Let them see and be recognized for their achievements. Instead of saying negative things about people who are fearful or cruel towards them, express sympathy for that person’s ignorance. Let the student see that the person has not ever had a rich relationship with someone like themselves, and that is why they do not understand.
Healthy esteem does not come from inflating a person’s achievements, but celebrating them. If the student can recognize that they are making progress in any given area, they will be motivated to continue learning and achieving.