The Importance of Self-Esteem in Early Education

First encounters are important. They are especially crucial in the context of children starting their education. This is a formative stage for every child, when their cognitive, social, and emotional skills can be developed and strengthened. These are some of the skills that children will use for years and years to come, if not for the rest of their lives.

At this tender age, children are like sponges. They absorb knowledge and experiences at an unprecedented rate. They are curious, eager to explore the world around them, and ready to make sense of it. This is why the first encounters in their educational journey can determine the educational experiences they will have in the future.

One of the most important aspects of early education is the development of self-esteem. This means feeling good about their abilities and believing that they are able to live up to the challenges of learning. Children should believe that they are capable, that they can accomplish their goals if they work hard, and that they are worthy of success.

At Mina’s School of Great Falls, we are very aware of this critical period and we work hard to improve our students’ confidence. We believe that every child is unique. Every child has their own strengths and personal challenges. They are stronger in certain areas and need help in some others. Our role as educators is to first identify these areas, then help them grow in their strength areas and provide them with support where they may need help.

We work hard to create a positive and supportive learning environment where children feel safe to take risks and make mistakes. Learning from mistakes should be a part of the learning process. We celebrate their successes, big or small, and encourage them to keep trying, no matter how tough things may seem. We assure them that we are there to help. 

We strive to make learning fun. We try to spark the children’s interest and curiosity. To keep children engaged, we complement individual work with group projects and hands-on activities.

We also understand the significance of social-emotional learning. Skills such as knowing how to express your feelings, how to resolve conflicts in a peaceful way, and how to show empathy towards others are just as important as academic skills in shaping a well-rounded individual.

Here are some of the ways in which we try to improve our students’ self-esteem:

• We listen to them. We show them that their thoughts and feelings are important to us.
• We help them experience success and highlight their successes.
• We offer our students help as well as motivation.
• We show our students that we appreciate their efforts, progress, and successes.

We want to see our students grow into successful and healthy individuals. We want them to flourish. That is why at Mina’s School, we do what we can to increase their self-esteem.

Our methods of teaching phonics, handwriting , and math, are based on cultivating the belief in our children that they are capable of learning and deserving of success. We strive to help them learn more and achieve more. We work hard to set our students up for success not only in their education, but also in their lives.

---