Posted on 08/13/2007 5:02:18 AM PDT by Caleb1411
Once upon a time – a time you probably don’t remember if you’re younger than 30 – American schools sought to teach children self-control, personal responsibility, and respect for others, especially adults. Students were corrected when they made mistakes and reprimanded when they slacked off or talked back. Most unfathomable to the current education establishment, teachers assessed students on qualities such as “gets along well with others” – and some children actually flunked. In the eyes of schoolteachers and parents, shaping kids into productive and responsible citizens was more important than protecting their egos.
Then, sometime in the 1970s, schools began to embrace the peculiar notion that kids should never be criticized or feel self-doubt. The “self-esteem” movement was born – and ushered in a generation of kids who think they can do no wrong.
In her new book, “Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled – And More Miserable than Ever Before,” Dr. Jean Twenge documents the spectacular failure of the self-esteem movement, from its birth in the 1970s to the present. Despite enthusiastic predictions to the contrary, raising kids’ self-esteem does not make them more successful or productive. It does, however, train them to always feel good about themselves, even when they do bad things.
Twenge makes clear the difference between self-esteem and self-respect. Self-respect – a value taught to older generations – is achieved gradually, by behaving morally and accomplishing things. Self-esteem is an entitlement. As Twenge explains, “most [self-esteem] programs encourage children to feel good about themselves for no particular reason.”
Is that really such a bad thing? According to Twenge, who spent years researching the subject, the answer is yes. Numerous studies show basically no relationship between high self-esteem and academic achievement, strong work ethic, or harmonious relationships with others.
In fact, Twenge’s research suggests that the self-esteem movement has wreaked havoc on schools. Instead of teaching children to learn from their mistakes, “There has been a movement against ‘criticizing’ children too much…One popular method tells teachers not to correct students’ spelling or grammar, arguing that kids should be ‘independent spellers’ so they can be treated as ‘individuals.’”
Elementary school students spend hours creating “All About Me” projects and reading books titled “Everyone Is Special,” but less time learning basic skills. Unsurprisingly, Twenge notes, “American children scored very highly when asked how good they were at math. Of course, their actual math performance is merely mediocre, with other countries’ youth routinely outranking American children.”
Grade inflation is appallingly high, as schools pass out good grades in order to avoid bruised egos. As Twenge reports, “In 2004, 48 percent of American college freshmen – almost half – reported earning an A average in high school, compared to only 18 percent in 1968, even though SAT scores decreased over the same period.” Students often demand good grades for substandard work, and their parents act as reinforcements: “Teachers described parents who specified that their children were not to be corrected or ‘emotionally upset,’ who argued incessantly about grades, and even one father who…challenged a teacher to a fistfight.”
Of course, children have no motivation to work harder when their schools outlaw competition and celebrate mediocrity. Many schools now refuse to publish the honor roll, since it might hurt the self-esteem of students who didn’t make the grade. According to the touchy-feely pop psychology of the current education establishment, recognizing high achievers is unnecessary and cruel. Twenge offers an example: “11-year-old Kayla was invited to the math class pizza party, even though she managed only a barely passing 71. The pizza parties used to be only for children who made A’s, but in recent years the school has invited every child who simply passed.”
While the self-esteem movement hasn’t made children any smarter, it has made them more self-centered, manipulative, and indulgent. Cheating in schools is on the rise, with 74 percent of high school students admitting to cheating in 2002. The link to the self-esteem movement is clear: if everyone deserves to feel good regardless of how they behave, why should a student feel bad about stealing a copy of the final exam? It doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. The self-esteem movement has indeed had enormous effects on children born since the 1970s – and almost none of them are good. The California Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility spent a quarter-billion dollars trying to raise Californians’ self-esteem, only to find that it had no effect on teen pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, or chronic welfare dependency. On the other hand, people with high self-esteem tend to be unwilling to take responsibility for their own failures and bad behavior.
There is one personality trait that is definitely linked to achievement, and that is self-control. Although “discipline” and “obedience” have become dirty words in the education establishment, people with high levels of self-control are the most likely to succeed. They earn higher grades and finish more years of education, and they’re less likely to abuse drugs or have children out of wedlock. As Twenge says, “Self-control predicts all of those things researchers had hoped self-esteem would, but hasn’t.”
This short column cannot do justice to Twenge’s meticulously researched and revealing book. However, it’s a must-read for parents and teachers who hope to unravel the myth of self-esteem.
Ashley Herzog is a junior at Ohio University, studying journalism, and lives in Avon Lake, Ohio.
A lot of Lewis’s ideas are quite Orthodox—the soteriology of “The Great Divorce” and a lot of the theological hints dropped in the Narnia series are very non-Western. I know Lewis had a close Orthodox friend (whose name escapes me), was very fond of the Orthodox liturgy (remarking that it was better than anything in the West, and apparently considered conversion, but, living at a time whan Orthodox-Anglican union was still a seemingly live issue, never took the step. Indeed, some Orthodox jokingly speak of ‘our father among the saints Clive Staples Lewis’ even though he remained an Anglican all his life.
You beat me.
That helps my self esteem!
Mark
In my experience they either shape the frack up or they get fired real quick. Kids aren’t quite as bad as the article makes them out to be by in large, they learn fast that what they learned in school in that regard is worthless or they don’t make money.
America Idol highlights not on the very talented, but the very untalented, esp. if they display a distinctive quirkiness. Many are hoping to get their 15 mins. of fame from just plain being weird and many succeed.
An easy mistake to make, IMHO. In fact, if it's a mistake I'm still making it.
What's the difference, then, between "esteeming yourself" and being egotistical?
-Walter Williams-
Perfect then. My job is finished here and you may pass on to the next grade-level!
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Some kids can see through the ruse of current feel-good education and actually demand of themselves and their teachers something more. But there are far too many that come to high school having been told they are making progress when, in fact, they have not (or have not made enough significant progress.) Far too often, the result is a child with a warped sense of both expectation and accomplishment. Said student will not work/learn but expects to be passed with his minimal efforts.
Now, now, you mustn't use such harsh language on yourself.
Think of MarkL as having a chronological advantage, simply because he started reading the thread earlier than you (while you were visiting another thread, perhaps).
I'm sure that your comments preceded his on other occasions. It doesn't mean that you're less of a Freeper.
Excuse me while I go hurl.
Self-esteem is a good opinion of yourself backed up by genuine accomplishment. It is essential to success in any facet of life.
Egotism is an inflated opinion of yourself, usually based on nothing more than never having run into a situation where your abilities or opinions are subjected to a critical review by others. It's what makes the American Idol tryouts are so amusing.
Big Religion likes to confuse the two concepts, because people who develop genuine self-esteem no longer have much use for it.
I believe this is the working definition used earlier in this thread for the term "self-respect."
I think the difference lies in deciding exactly what we intend the term "self-esteem" to mean. As I see it used by the education establishment, it appears to mean something different than your definition...in fact, it appears synonymous with "ego," because that is what the local public schools are achieving.
Hold up! Hold up! I got about 3 or 4 comments posted and he only has 2. I should get a higher grade on this assignment! Huh? So, what if I just repeated what he said, I tried, didn’t I? Tryin’s good, ain’t it? (*) Well, it’s good enough for me.
* At this point, I usually tell my students the story about the drowning swimmer “trying” to get to the life preserver. He can paddle and flail away all day long, use massive amounts of energy in doing so, but, if he does not make it to the life preserver, what happens to him?
So much for just trying.
“kids should be ‘independent spellers’ so they can be treated as ‘individuals.’”
The over paid socialists squatting behind a desk at the front of classrooms in the schools near you know full well the curriculum they teach results in annual advancement of unqualified students.
Such students are therefore guaranteed to fail the next year due to gross lack of mastery of basic facts of the previous year’s curriculum.
I suggest these socialist bachelor’s children be sued for improper enrichment.
Educators are a class well deserving of being sued.
Educators are also a class with substantial assets, well worth being sued.
Calling all conservative lawyers! Calling all concervative lawyers!
I think self esteem and self confidence are being used interchangeably way too much. People, especially young people and children, need to learn to acquire the confidence to perform outside their comfort zones, but also learn that when they inevitably screw up when going outside their comfort zone, that they will be held accountable, but retain the confidence to try again until they get it right.
Kids can now come out of school with a GPA higher than 4.0 because of weighting of Honors and AP classes. I attended a high school graduation last year and the valedictorian had a GPA of something like 5.65. I’m not sure when this bloating of GPA’s took place, but I don’t recall it when I was graduating in ‘75.
“My grammar is also not well, either!”
My sympathies to her. Suggest two aspirin and a nap.
;-)
Amen to you, David. It certainly is a vice. And look at the fruits.
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