Posts Tagged Empower Youth

Encouragement, Empowerment, and Likability

We all want to be liked—teachers are no different. Unfortunately, one of the major mistakes many new teachers make is attempting to have their students like them by befriending them. This often takes the form of encouraging students to call them by their given name rather than by their surname, and generally to place themselves on the same level as their students.

Certainly, teachers should be friendly, but friendship is not the way to build likability—nor is it the building block young people need. Encouragement and empowerment are the essentials, as they also lead to increased self-discipline.

I recall the story of a first grader who did not learn how to read and had to repeat the first grade. At … >>>

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Stop Enforcing Rules

If a child breaks a rule, what is the parent or teacher’s natural tendency? To enforce the rule and dish out consequences (discipline) as a result of that rule being broken.

But if a child doesn’t follow a procedure, what is the adult’s natural tendency? To teach that procedure—to restate it, to seek understanding, to coach, to correct.

That’s a big difference.

Unfortunately, too many parents and teachers today are relying on rules rather than teaching procedures, and as a result they’re making their parenting and/or teaching journey much more difficult and stressful.

If your objective is to empower children, to motivate them to put forth effort in their learning, and to have them want to behave responsibly, referring to … >>>

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