What role do each of these play in developing a balanced sense of self?
pc: morgan david de lossy
14 thoughts on “Establishing Roots”
To have a positive sense of self, a learner must feel respected by others who share that learning (teacher and other students), otherwise the tendency will be to shut down and the learning will stop. The learner also needs to feel nurtured so that there is a sense of safety. Only when students feel safe will they take risks. For real meaning to be made, and therefore, real growth to be gained, there must be inspiration. Another essential element for growth is the feeling of being challenged, and then the empowerment to take on and learn from that challenge.
Finding a balanced sense of self is something that we strive for daily. I find that when I am in a safe place and feeling respected, that I am more willing to open up to others. When I have found that balance in my life and feeling empowered to take on more challenges, then I become more inspired. All of these characteristics go hand in hand – and very rarely can you have one without the other. We need to feel supported for any of these things to happen.
Isn’t it so easy to get caught up in the long “to do” lists that we have as teachers and parents? I find that I feel satisfaction completing each task and crossing it off my list- but seldom do I take the time to reflect on each item. By the time I have finished, I am spent. My health and friendships take the back seat to my work and my family. Taking time to take care of myself and taking time to sincerely reflect on the tasks at hand is something that could use some work.
I go back in my mind to Maslow’s “classic” hierarchy beyond the basic human needs. All students need to feel safe: physically and emotionally. As educators we can strive to make meaningful connections and to establish authentic relationships. In addition, it is critical in today’s academic environment that all stakeholders see cultural languages and traditions as assets. This will also foster a strong sense of self. These lasting relationships will foster a growth-mindset to develop a sense of courage for students to feel empowered to take academic risks to accelerate learning.
I think these are all important in developing a balanced sense of self. Part of the balance comes from the fact that an individual will feel these in varying degrees and they won’t always be felt at a constant strength. I think a balanced sense of self comes from both internal and external factors.
A balanced sense of self to me is a combination of the awareness of ALL the self-esteem “partners” as described in the March 2019 Positive Psychology article I focused on titled “What is Self-Esteem?” Self-concept, self-confidence, self-image, self-worth, self-efficacy and self-compassion all play a part in the development of the private and public construct of “Who Am I?” So much goes into the attitude we have of ourselves, be it our age, genetics, life experiences, or our social circumstances at the current time of life. As I think about our learners, it is clear that the ever-changing influences are just that…changing. We need to be cognizant of how a child’s sense of self is so malleable, yet so fragile. We have to continue to be intentional and purposeful in teaching young students the vocabulary, explaining and demonstrating examples and celebrating the development of their overall well-being.
I feel that all of these things have to work together in order to have a balanced sense of self. If you are challenged without being nurtured or respected, it can make that challenge a lot more difficult and even if you do accomplish your goal it may not feel as rewarding. If you are inspired, nurtured, and respected, but never challenged you will not grow. As with everything in life and teaching, there is a delicate balance between being empowered, inspired, nurtured, respected, and challenged that must be met.
Developing a balanced sense of self is an ongoing process. You have to continue to work on accomplishing that and making it a priority. You can’t fully nurture, respect, and inspire others if you haven’t achieved a balanced self.
I think they all work together as life ebbs and flows. At times we need to be empowered, at times we need nurturing, at times we need inspiration, and whatever is needs supports the others.
In order to have a balanced sense of self one needs to feel respected and inspired, be nurtured, and face challenges. They all work together to create this balance.
I see this differently in that I think you have to have a balanced sense of self first. When you have a balanced sense of self you are in a place where all of these other wonderful things can happen. You allow yourself to be nurtured, inspired, and challenged by others. You feel empowered and inspired to try new things and take risks.
We need to be nurtured, respected, and inspired in order to feel more empowered and challenged. All of those roles combined help develop a balanced sense of self.
When you are EMPOWERED chances are someone who RESPECTS you has given you a welcome CHALLENGE. This experience is NURTURED through INSPIRATION and outcomes a positive experience. When this happens over and over it develops a balanced sense of self. This is one of my many thoughts on how one can build and develop a balanced sense of self.
To have a positive sense of self, a learner must feel respected by others who share that learning (teacher and other students), otherwise the tendency will be to shut down and the learning will stop. The learner also needs to feel nurtured so that there is a sense of safety. Only when students feel safe will they take risks. For real meaning to be made, and therefore, real growth to be gained, there must be inspiration. Another essential element for growth is the feeling of being challenged, and then the empowerment to take on and learn from that challenge.
Finding a balanced sense of self is something that we strive for daily. I find that when I am in a safe place and feeling respected, that I am more willing to open up to others. When I have found that balance in my life and feeling empowered to take on more challenges, then I become more inspired. All of these characteristics go hand in hand – and very rarely can you have one without the other. We need to feel supported for any of these things to happen.
Isn’t it so easy to get caught up in the long “to do” lists that we have as teachers and parents? I find that I feel satisfaction completing each task and crossing it off my list- but seldom do I take the time to reflect on each item. By the time I have finished, I am spent. My health and friendships take the back seat to my work and my family. Taking time to take care of myself and taking time to sincerely reflect on the tasks at hand is something that could use some work.
I go back in my mind to Maslow’s “classic” hierarchy beyond the basic human needs. All students need to feel safe: physically and emotionally. As educators we can strive to make meaningful connections and to establish authentic relationships. In addition, it is critical in today’s academic environment that all stakeholders see cultural languages and traditions as assets. This will also foster a strong sense of self. These lasting relationships will foster a growth-mindset to develop a sense of courage for students to feel empowered to take academic risks to accelerate learning.
I think these are all important in developing a balanced sense of self. Part of the balance comes from the fact that an individual will feel these in varying degrees and they won’t always be felt at a constant strength. I think a balanced sense of self comes from both internal and external factors.
A balanced sense of self to me is a combination of the awareness of ALL the self-esteem “partners” as described in the March 2019 Positive Psychology article I focused on titled “What is Self-Esteem?” Self-concept, self-confidence, self-image, self-worth, self-efficacy and self-compassion all play a part in the development of the private and public construct of “Who Am I?” So much goes into the attitude we have of ourselves, be it our age, genetics, life experiences, or our social circumstances at the current time of life. As I think about our learners, it is clear that the ever-changing influences are just that…changing. We need to be cognizant of how a child’s sense of self is so malleable, yet so fragile. We have to continue to be intentional and purposeful in teaching young students the vocabulary, explaining and demonstrating examples and celebrating the development of their overall well-being.
I feel that all of these things have to work together in order to have a balanced sense of self. If you are challenged without being nurtured or respected, it can make that challenge a lot more difficult and even if you do accomplish your goal it may not feel as rewarding. If you are inspired, nurtured, and respected, but never challenged you will not grow. As with everything in life and teaching, there is a delicate balance between being empowered, inspired, nurtured, respected, and challenged that must be met.
A balanced sense of self is cultivated by feeling intrinsically, as well as extrinsically, empowered, inspired, nurtured, respected and challenged.
Developing a balanced sense of self is an ongoing process. You have to continue to work on accomplishing that and making it a priority. You can’t fully nurture, respect, and inspire others if you haven’t achieved a balanced self.
I think they all work together as life ebbs and flows. At times we need to be empowered, at times we need nurturing, at times we need inspiration, and whatever is needs supports the others.
In order to have a balanced sense of self one needs to feel respected and inspired, be nurtured, and face challenges. They all work together to create this balance.
I see this differently in that I think you have to have a balanced sense of self first. When you have a balanced sense of self you are in a place where all of these other wonderful things can happen. You allow yourself to be nurtured, inspired, and challenged by others. You feel empowered and inspired to try new things and take risks.
We need to be nurtured, respected, and inspired in order to feel more empowered and challenged. All of those roles combined help develop a balanced sense of self.
When you are EMPOWERED chances are someone who RESPECTS you has given you a welcome CHALLENGE. This experience is NURTURED through INSPIRATION and outcomes a positive experience. When this happens over and over it develops a balanced sense of self. This is one of my many thoughts on how one can build and develop a balanced sense of self.