| |
|
| B | A | C | K | G | R | O | U | N | D | _ | C | O | L | O | R |
Dyslexia and Self-confidence |
April Pinion is a special education teacher in Oklahoma studying on the Dyslexia Certificate course.
|
Improving a dyslexic child's self-confidence is a very critical element to their academic growth and success. The way a child perceives him/herself can positively or negatively impact every aspect of their academic career and beyond. In my resource room, I have 26 students with various forms of dyslexia. Each one is a unique challenge-as no two have the same type of self-esteem issues.
One of the biggest things I have done is to insist that co-workers, parents, and administrators refer to my program as a resource room where everyone learns differently with the goal being to get rid of the LD (learning disabilities) label. By establishing a lab setting, we are free to experiment with many strategies and techniques until we find the way each child learns best. It becomes my job to help them improve those ways and to work with them using their strengths.
Journal Each one of my students has a journal. It is not graded and they write to me whenever they choose. They can share private thoughts and feelings and I will reply. If you tell me you were really bad in reading today, then I will write back and point out that while yesterday may not have been your best day in reading, you have had many good days and will have many more.
In the back of the journals, each student keeps a list of accomplishments. One little girl writes each time she learns how to spell a new word, or learns a new set of math facts. I encourage the students to review their lists daily and to try and add to them.
Also in their journals are accomplishment charts. They are rewarding with stickers for a variety of things including improving their performance on any task, helping a classmate be more successful, using kind words and deeds, etc. The children will work very hard for a very small sticker. Once the sticker charts are full, they may be exchanged for a variety of reward-including inviting someone to eat lunch with them, earning extra computer time for a game of their choice, using my colored paper and gel pens to write a note to someone, etc.
No negative comments I do not ever allow negative comments or put-downs-either of themselves or someone else.
Precheck At the end of each assignment, the students can hand it in for a precheck. I will go over it with them and we discuss any changes they might need to make. They take the assignment back, make corrections, and then hand it in to be graded. I never, never "grade" anything with the dreaded red ink pen. I use bright colored glittery gel pens. Instead of marking what might be wrong, I mark what is correct-accentuating the positive rather than the negative.
Lastly, one thing I do is share with the children my own struggles with school and dyslexia. I tell them that short of brain surgery, if they want to find a way to do it, we can work together and find that way. So far, they have never let themselves down.
I think the most vital key to working with all children is to help them believe in themselves. Help them find out what they do well and how they can use those strengths to improve things they may not be as good at doing.
April Pinion
Low self-confidence
One particular child I spoke to said that he kept getting himself into trouble to avoid having to do the work. This child would act the class fool, mess around or get into fights to make sure he was asked to leave a certain class where he found the work too hard. I asked him if he had spoken to the teacher about the difficulty of work, and he said no he hadn't because the teacher thought he was stupid. His mum had often said that he felt depressed, and that she had tried to get him to see a counsellor. He refused this, as he didn't want to be seen as being different. I think this is a big aspect of dyslexia, the "not being different". Many children, and adults, have said they wish they didn't have to be different. It is important that we start realising that dyslexia is not always a bad thing, that it won't stop you from doing what you want to do, and that it just means you learn in a slightly different way. The low self confidence in many of the children I work with comes from other people's views of dyslexia, not from their own. J. S. Helping Children with Low Self-esteem
• Links to information about self-confidence on Google.
|
|
|
I have had a discussion with many of the children I work with about how they feel about their dyslexia. All of the children said that they felt worthless, stupid or dumb. This really did not suprise me, as many people have negative feelings about dyslexia, and that peple who have dyslexia are of low intelligence. I know this is not the case. 
Book which Helps Children Who: don't like themselves, have been deeply shamed, have received too much criticism, let people treat them badly, do not accept praise, feel defeated by life, unwanted or unlovable, bully or are bullied, feel they don't belong.