Improving Self-Esteem

Majella Gareau, Mary Koenig, Linda Cairns, Eric Harder, Rosella Nelson and the Staff of St. Louis School

This project was funded with the generous assistance of Metropolitan Life, one of the McDowell Foundation's corporate partners.

Above: Don Freed with students at St. Louis School giving a performance.

For two years, the staff of the Kindergarten to Grade 12 school in St. Louis, Saskatchewan, implemented a social skills program designed to foster an atmosphere of trust and caring in the school. As students became familiar with basic skills like greeting and complimenting, teachers saw their behaviour change for the better. It was decided that the school would continue along the same path by developing a school-wide research project aimed directly at improving students' self-esteem.

An important initial step was an in-service session on self-esteem for the entire school staff, including teachers, teacher associates and the school secretary. The session drew heavily on the "simple, powerful ideas" of Roger Sparks in his book, The Heart of Self-Esteem (Vancouver: Roger Sparks and Associates, 1993). Using the analogy of a sunflower, Sparks emphasized that self-esteem grows in stages. The first stage of growth is the development of a sense of security. Once people feel safe, trusting and connected with the people and things around them, it becomes possible to provide them with the validation that is a vital ingredient in developing their sense of identity. Then, once they are aware of themselves functioning successfully in the world, people acquire a sense of ability, and they begin to focus their abilities by setting goals that will fulfill their dreams and aspirations. This development of a sense of purpose is the fourth and final stage in the growth of self-esteem.

As the St. Louis school staff came to understand that self-esteem grows in stages, and that each stage must be reached before the next stage is introduced, they also realized they were on "a journey of self-discovery and growth....We knew that if we wanted to foster the growth of the students' self-esteem, the self-esteem of the staff of our school had to be nurtured as well. That is where we chose to begin." Staff members, as well as students, were given journals to write in frequently. They began to take the time to share in each other's successes. Weekly staff meetings were used by administrators to validate the contributions of staff; they also emphasized the positives in school life and adopted a problem-solving approach in dealing with difficulties with students.

The growing sense of security and trust within the school provided the foundation for numerous activities to develop students' sense of identity, ability and purpose. Teachers identified and experimented with various activities, then evaluated them for their effectiveness in improving self-esteem. Some examples are given below:

• journal writing that encouraged students to reflect about themselves, their development and their relationships,
• decoration of the school with student work and cooperatively prepared displays that celebrate student accomplishments,
• an exhibit of photographs of students at work and play, and a professionally developed video of the photographs that was shown to the student body,
• monthly assemblies for the whole school,
• displays of student compliments to each other,
• efforts by staff to watch students engaged in activities outside of school and acknowledge their successes in these activities,
• a nutritionist speaking about eating disorders and body image,
• a motivational media presentation about self-esteem,
• the pairing of younger and older students to do research,
• birthday greetings in morning announcements,
• classes giving presentations to other classes, and
• the allocation of responsibilities to students, especially within the SRC.

In addition to these and other activities, the teachers followed a positive discipline approach that imposed logical consequences for misbehaviour, allowed students a choice of consequences, and required them to go through a social autopsy for serious offences. As teachers became more confident regarding student behaviour, a number of large projects and field trips were undertaken.

Perhaps one of the most notable indications of growing self-esteem was the increased willingness of both staff and students to take risks. Teachers initiated more ambitious projects and learning opportunities; adolescents began to take part in the dances and role plays that were part of Arts Education; and high school students used their own time to develop and enter science fair projects.

The school's efforts to improve self-esteem were carried into the larger school community as well. A thank-you letter was circulated to helpers, speakers, presenters, and others with whom the students had contact. Parents were invited to noon-hour events where students were acknowledged for their accomplishments and their use of social skills. A school newsletter featured an article on building self-esteem in children. The school put on a Métis pageant where all students sang to a community audience songs they had either learned or written about Métis life. Gradually, as self-esteem improved, a stronger school community was formed.

The final stage of the St. Louis School research was to compile a handbook of the most successful activities for building self-esteem that the staff were able to identify and try during the course of the project. The handbook organizes the activities according to grade level and their relationship to each of Sparks' four stages in the growth of self-esteem. It is intended to provide other teachers who realize the importance of self-esteem in the work of education with tried and tested approaches that they may wish to use in their own classrooms.

On Building Security:
When we cannot control our surroundings or predict our world we lose trust.

On Building Identity:
Teachers can assist students and others to recognize their uniqueness and see differences as a gift instead of an oddity.

On Building Ability:
We need to become experts at seeing what has been accomplished, what is present, what is wonderful.

On Building Purpose:
A feeling of rightness is a signal that we are on purpose -- on the path that we were meant to follow.

Above: The staff of St. Louis School talk about their experiences in raising the self-esteem of students and teachers.

Above: Students at St. Louis School enjoying and getting to know each other.