Self Esteem: Pointless.

[yakiimo]

Fasteriskhead hit it well.

As a child raised on positive -everything-, I found that by having what many consider self-esteem bolstered by my parents in everything I did, it makes taking criticism in real life very hard. Heck, they're even taking the Honor Roll out of some schools because it's hurting kids' feelings if they don't make it on there!

While most people tend to stick to the topic of over-confidence and snobbery in people, which is one type of pride, being so down on yourself is also another.

I think self-confidence and a high self-esteem are important. While it's based on your own opinion of yourself, a lot of the time it's either upped or downed by those around you. That's pretty much human nature, since we're a communal race of critter. We need other people, more or less.

When a child is, say, five years old? Self-esteem and general self-image tend to come from family. School is barely starting. When that child reaches eight or so, they are starting to come into their own person. They're forming ideas about themselves and all that stuff. Friends begin to have an enormous impact on how we view ourselves. Though most kids don't want to admit it, family still plays a big part.

If you see a child in their early teens dressed in 'emo' or 'goth' clothes at school, that can also be a type of pride. They take pride in their 'differentness'. Pride can be on both sides of the esteem coin. It's an extreme.

As for whether or not self-esteem matters? It matters very, very much. Self-esteem in school gives you the confidence to do your best. That's all anyone can ever really ask. My parents asked for that, chiding me for Cs and congratulating me for Bs and As. My brother and sister were congratulated for Ds, so I was treated differently. It helps you have the courage, knowing you feel good about yourself and your abilities (realistically), to give that oral report or go into that test with your head up. It helps you take the brunt of the bad, like failing that test you thought you'd do well on. You don't really dwell on the bad things that're happening to you.

Self-esteem in the workplace helps you get the job done. If you're confident in yourself and what you can do, positive in your thinking, then there's a greater chance you're going to get the job done and get it done well. It'll help you prepare and give that presentation you were only given a week to come up with. It helps you get through the drudgery of paperwork and the ever-so-common workplace gossip. Self-esteem and a positive self-image isn't about bolstering your self-worth straight up into snobbery. This is about knowing your abilities and having confidence that you can give it your best. You'll be pleased with almost any outcome, and those you're not ... you'll try harder next time.

[Sabrina]

[FONT="Tahoma"]Like others have said, I don't think good self esteem makes you smarter, it just makes you not give up. You keep trying instead of feeling like it's the end of the world if you fail. It doesn't mean doing bad is fun or good, it just means you don't let it stop you.

Personally I think good self esteem is something that needs to come from the home not from one's teacher. So though I can understand why they want kids to feel better about themselves, I don't think it's a teacher's job to attend to that. [/FONT]

[GANTZ]

I think it does help with some things. Self esteem

gives confidence. Confidence is necessary for some

things in school, like speeches. I know from personal

experience that confidence helps. I've gone up in front

of the class, made up speeches, and acted like I knew

what the hell I was talking about and done better

than a lot of people who did their work but presented

without confidence.