There are so many avenues of finding a positive sense of self-identity. As a teacher, it is important to always listen and pay attention to students. By doing these two things, a teacher will be more in tune with students and can make better decisions on how to work with them. Creating lessons that help students take a look at their idea of self-identity is also important. Most students like to create artwork that is connected to them or is about them.
It is so hard to find yourself, especially in middle and high school. Creating a positive environment for students is very important. The teachers that I confided in and trusted during these years were the ones that always listened and had an open classroom. By this I mean that they were there before and after school, truly cared about their students, and took the time to listen. They also took extra time to help students whom didn’t understand material. My point is that they were willing to go the extra mile to foster a positive self identity in their students. I believe that having an open classroom is very important. This to me means that it is controlled as well as laid back. It enables students to feel comfortable and more open to positive influences in their life and in the classroom. When students feel comfortable in their environment, they will be much more likely to succeed and develop a positive sense of self-identity.
Conducting your classroom in a way that enables students to feel good about their work and themselves is another key point. One cannot be happy if they are not happy with themselves. Acknowledging differences in students and viewing them as positive aspects of students is a way to do this. When students take pride in the things they do, they develop a positive sense of worth, which is part of their self-identity. There are many ways to help students foster a positive sense of self-identity, but it can be very specific to a particular student. Listening, paying attention, providing a comfortable and positive environment, and creating lesson plans that make students look at their identity can help students form positive self-identities.
I think you have a good grasp on the concept, especially about listening to your students and actually caring about what they have to say. Few of my middle and high school teachers took the time to get to know their students in this way, and I hope to become a teacher that will take an interest in his students' well-being. I also believe that you will be quite good at this - excellent ideas!
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