TITLE OF LESSON OR IDEA: Coaching Kids Who Need a Self-Esteem Boost
NAME: Robert C. Ferguson, Jr.
SCHOOL: Bradford Area School District
CITY/STATE: Bradford, PA
E-MAIL: [email protected]
KEY WORDS: attitude, psychology, mirror technique, coaching, self-esteem
GRADE RANGE: All (K-12)
SHORT 1-2 SENTENCE INTRODUCTION: Students often get down on themselves after losing a game or two at a tournament. Here is a technique to help snap them out of it.
MATERIALS
NEEDED:
STEP-BY-STEP METHODOLOGY (200-500 WORDS, simple enough that a teacher could print it out and follow it on his/her own): Someone once said, “Life is 50% attitude; the other half is attitude.” An experience that I've had several times that demonstrates this concept is the use of the mirror technique. One student didn’t think she could win any chess games because all of her opponents at States were higher rated. She clearly had the potential and had demonstrated it several times, but she had fallen into a rut and had just given up. We reviewed her successes, and then I required her to help me write three positive statements about her. Next, she had to say them while looking herself in the eyes in the mirror. Initially, it was difficult for her to say this aloud in front of me, but she did it. She won the rest of her games! A = Attitude!