Posts by Kathy Sieg

Last week’s video blog continued our conversation about low self-esteem, addressing the possibility that we may be unintentionally contributing to it. When we talk about our students’ or kids’ weaknesses and learning differences in front of them, it can be much more damaging than we realize. Obviously these conversations aren’t intended to hurt them, but once our kids have heard our words, they can’t “unhear” them. They may begin to believe that they are different or stupid, or that something is wrong with them. Our words have the power to seriously affect our kids’ self-esteem—for better or for worse. In response
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In our video blog yesterday, we talked about focusing on the positive with our students. Whether we think of ourselves as positive people or not, it can be challenging to identify and celebrate our students’ strengths—especially when they have some substantial learning differences and struggles. However, taking the time to do just that is incredibly important. In order to make this happen, we must be intentional about looking for strengths, making sure to think outside the box. One student may be gifted in kindness, having unusual empathy for those around; while another may be an excellent communicator and story-teller. Actual
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As mentioned in our video blog this week, low self-esteem presents itself in many different forms. We are more frequently familiar with the stereotypical signs of low self-esteem—those students who are quiet, sad, withdrawn, or just so clearly insecure. However low self-esteem can manifest itself on the other end of the spectrum as well. Our students who act over-the-top qualified, boastful, or over-confident are oftentimes demonstrating these behaviors from the same root of low self-esteem. To take it a step further, students who show bullying behaviors are most likely doing so to mask or cope with their own insecurities. So
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As noted in last week’s video blog, low self-esteem can be a huge disability– ofttimes more than the learning differences themselves. Students who live with learning differences often arrive at believing that they are stupid or that something is wrong with them, creating insecurities that can then exacerbate their learning struggles. If we can help our students understand their learning differences and how their brains work differently—as well as their accompanying strengths and gifts—we can begin to rebuild the confidence that is necessary for them to succeed. Be real with your students, recognizing and talking about the struggles that they
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Do you know that if you can read well, you can probably teach others how to read? So who might those “others” include? It might be: — Your own child, family member, or friend of the family. — A young child who desperately wants to learn to read. — A child (or adult) who has failed over and over at learning to read. — A public, private or homeschooled student who is struggling in school and needs an extra leg up because of a reading deficit. My life is fuller because I have taught learners in all of these situations;
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