When you are in a class, there are some students that have higher self-esteem and they handle all the tasks very easily that are provided to them. These students are generally liked by all the teachers. On the other hand, there are some students who find it a bit difficult to meet all their assigned tasks. This situation piles up the frustration and students start getting anxious about every other thing.
As a teacher, you must not keep different attitudes towards your students. There are many ways you can adopt to tackle the situation and improve the self-esteem of those students as well. I am listing some tricks you can follow to encourage the students and let them know you are proud of them.
Defend their efforts
The students who lack self-confidence generally focus on only the negatives in their life. You must start acknowledging their achievements and praise them often for it. Also, try to do in front of the whole class and not only when they are alone. They lack confidence when they are in the class with their equals.
Don’t expect much
You must know what your students are capable of. Some students may be able to achieve more than you think but there are also many students who are slow learners and it’s just hard for them to attain. Also, try not to force the students to attain your set goals. Let them set their own goals and then review them at the end of the year and evaluate their improvements. If they are finding it difficult to write an assignment, you can also give them a little essay help so they can get an idea.
Accept the mistakes
You should always remember that when a student makes a mistake, it’s not the end of the world. These mistakes are the learning steps and are very important in their lives. If they are feeling low, it’s your duty to cheer them up and let them know that these mistakes are not going to define them who they are and making a mistake is a common thing. When you will actually encourage them, there will be significant growth in their performance.
Don’t compare to anyone
The one thing that demotivates a student that is already on low self-esteem is when someone compares them to someone who is performing better. Every student comes with a unique set of skills and learning abilities. Never try to create a bias towards those who are performing well in academics. Low self-esteem can be very depressing and you must not act to end up increasing it in a student. Nurture the confidence in the students of your class and try to understand the capabilities of each and every student.
Tell them to trust themselves
You must try to let the students know that they should never doubt their decisions. There is also a way where saying something bad directly to them is not appreciated and you must find ways to criticize in a constructive way. For example, if a student is doing something wrong, instead of making allegations on his/her personality, try to change the way and point out that his/her behavior is totally unacceptable.
Listen to them
You can also help them in boosting the self-confidence by trying to actually listen to them and talk. They don’t generally share their thoughts with anyone so if you are trying to say something, you must actually listen and talk to them often. This will help them significantly boost their self-esteem and participate more actively in the class.