Self Esteem vs. Self Delusion

Hello everyone,

When I was just getting started in education, the self-esteem movement was in its ascendancy. Everything, it seemed, was geared toward helping students feel good about themselves. The theory was that poor self esteem lay at the root of much of the failure of students; if they saw themselves as successful, they would rise to the self perception and become successful.

Now, almost thirty years later, American students are among the worst in industrialized nations, yet they think of themselves as the best. Their self esteem is quite high, but their actual achievement is low. (See the Washington Post news story about the 2006 Brookings Institute study at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701298.html.)

On the other hand, undiluted reality is so unpalatable that neither students nor their teachers will address it without the rebellion that follows insult.

Some years ago, a student of mine, undersized but moderately talented, announced in class that he did not have to study in English because he was going to be in the NFL. When I told him that, unless he grew a lot, he wouldn't play in the NFL because he was too small, he objected to my taking his dreams away, and his parents had him transferred out of my class. (He never played in the NFL.)

A drama student announced that he didn't have to memorize scripts because he was going to be a great star, and great stars didn't memorize. He couldn't be trusted with any but negligible roles because he was impossible to work with. He dropped out of school to become a great star. He isn't. When Garfield's many teachers with experience in drama tried to give him good counsel, he complained that we were interfering with his dreams.

Another student announced that he didn't need to study because his family was going to win the lottery. He complained that his dreams were being challenged when he was told to study because the odds were against his winning the lottery.

Still another student announced one day that his goal was to become the greatest drug dealer in LA. When he was told that that was not a good goal, he complained, "Are you taking my dreams away?"

I tell you all that to tell you this: Self esteem and self delusion are not compatible. Self esteem is good; self delusion is bad. True self esteem is born out of real achievement; self delusion is only a figment. It's true that teachers sometimes underestimate

How to build true achievement, and its correlative self esteem, will be the subject of the next few emails.

Jeff Combe