Teacher Boosts Student Confidence Daily
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stacyejonesTeacher Boosts Student Confidence Daily
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stacyejonesA teacher is building
confidence in her students --
one heartwarming look in the
mirror at a time
"This is part of a CNN series, "The Helpers," which seeks to
showcase people who are going the extra mile to help others
and make their communities a better place."
Atlanta (CNN) — The fourth-graders walk up to a full-length
mirror -- one after the other -- at a school in southwest
Atlanta.
"I'm smart!" a girl in braids says.
"I'm a good person!" a boy donning a mask adds.
A bespectacled boy follows with, "I'm strong and
independent," before hurriedly walking away. In the
background, their teacher, Neffiteria Acker, holds up the mirror
in front of the kids and cheers them on. "Yes! Louder! Love it!"
she calls out.
Acker teaches math and
science at Kindezi at
Gideons Elementary
school, and she's on a
mission to boost her
students' confidence and
self-love. The kids
returned to school this month after a year of virtual learning,
and say their positive affirmations every morning before class
starts.
Acker's practiced this with her 5-year-old daughter since she
developed verbal language skills, and loved how they both felt
afterward. Watching her students assertively repeat positive
affirmations gives her chills, she says.
Acker and her students' daily ritual seems to be resonating. A
fellow teacher at the elementary school recently posted a
video of Acker's students sharing their affirmations on social
media that's been viewed and re-shared more than 4,000
times.
"The best part about doing the affirmations is the feeling after
I say them," Acker says. "And the feeling I see my students
feel or that they express after they do them. Their attitude is
better, their self-confidence is lifted and we have a better
day."
Teacher has cards printed out with positive
words
Mental health issues are rising among children nationwide as
they struggle with anxiety, uncertainty and a relentless
pandemic. Many adults report that the pandemic has been
hard on their mental health. For kids, some experts say, it has
become a crisis.
And more so this year, kids "need all of the kindness and
compassion we can muster," says Dr. Marcuetta Sims, a
psychologist and founder of The Worth, Wisdom and Wellness
Center in Atlanta.
Children develop their beliefs based on how grownups speak
to them, making teachers a key influence and positive
affirmation a crucial first step, she adds.
Growing up in a rough neighborhood, some of the students in
Acker's class don't hear a lot of positive words, she says. She
starts the lesson by giving them examples of the affirmations
she shares with her
daughter.
She also has cards
printed out with words
such as powerful, great,
talented, valued and
intelligent. "When they get to the mirror and they cannot think
of an affirmation themselves, I encourage them to pick a card
and say that in the mirror," she says.
Most times, they don't have to -- they come up with their own
words. On a recent day, the children walked up to the mirror
and shared different affirmations: "I am intelligent. I am Black
and beautiful. I am gorgeous. I am educated. I am loved."
With every passing day, the kids say it with more confidence
as they look at their own reflections. Acker chose a mirror that
was big enough to show the students from head to toe --
without other distractions. She searched various stores to get
one that was just the right size for her students.
"I wanted the mirror to be so that they're only looking at
themselves -- nothing else," she says. "My goal was I want
you to love yourself, the whole you -- not just your hair."
Words have a lot of power, experts say
Acker is onto something, experts say.
In Sims' work with adults, most of the trauma is connected to
messages they got when they were younger and the beliefs
that resulted from that, she says.
"Our words hold so much power and when these words are
being internalized by children who are still in the process of
developing their sense of self, those words carry even more
weight," Sims says. "The way we speak to children is the way
they learn how to speak to themselves. It's how they develop
their self-talk, which influences their behaviors and the
choices they make in life."
When students can't think of any affirmations, Neffiteria Acker offers them cards
with positive messages written on them.
In addition to building kids' self-esteem, such affirmations
increase the number of positive emotions they feel each day,
which in turn builds their resiliency and coping skills, says
Jenna Glover, director of psychology training at Children's
Hospital Colorado.
"When we encourage kids to develop thinking patterns that
focus on the positive, even in difficult circumstances, they are
better able to mitigate the negative impact of the stressors in
their lives," Glover says.
Acker says she has noticed changes in the students'
confidence and interactions, and plans to keep the practice
going. The kids love it so much, some ask if they can say more
affirmations after class.
CNN's Jen Christensen contributed to this report
