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Hannah Hall
7th period
October 21, 2013
Self-Esteem Reflection
Purpose is Key
Merriam-Webster defines self-esteem as confidence in ones own worth or abilities. To
break that down slightly further, the word confidence is defined as firm trust and
worth as the value equivalent to that of someone or something under consideration; the
level at which someone or something deserves to be valued or rated. So, more or less, the
definition of self-esteem is basically trust in how valuable you are. That seems pretty
simple right, pretty cut and dry? People with high self-esteem trust that they have value,
and people with low self-esteem do not. Well, why dont we take it a step further? What is
value? Stated simply, value is importance.
Consequently, if I know that who I am and what I am doing is important, I will have
higher self-esteem than someone who feels as if all the things they spend their time and
energy on are futile and valueless. For example, take a moment to consider how you feel on
a Saturday when you have stayed home all day, completed your chores, finished all your
homework, and had a very productive day! Now consider how you feel on a Saturday when
you dont do anythingyou just sit on the couch all day and eat. Is there a difference in
your attitude towards life at the end of each of those days? I know there is for me! I feel
ten times better about life when I know that I have worked hard, worked towards my goals,
and accomplished something important, than when I do absolutely nothing that benefits
myself or anyone else in any way. I believe that this principle can be carried on not just to

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productivity on a daily basis, but to life on a larger level. Also, I believe this all relates back
to self-esteem.
So lets consider this possibilityweve talked about what self esteem is, and considered
how it influences our day to day lives. Now, on a larger scale, how would the self esteem of
someone who has a purpose in life and goals set to work towards that purpose differ from
that of a person who is wandering aimlessly through the world? Do you think that the
person with a purpose he or she is working towards would have more trust in the value of
the things they are doing than someone who has no direction, whose works and acts add up
to virtually nothing? I strongly believe this is a valid comparison.
If you were to ask me what I believe self-esteem is grounded on, my answer is very
simplepurpose. Purpose is what drives us. It makes us want to get up in the morning and
perform daily tasks. Purpose gives our lives direction. It guides the decisions we make,
activities in which we involve ourselves, and the things we do. I firmly believe that true,
positive self-esteem stems from working towards an ultimate goal in lifeto fulfill your
purpose.
You may be asking, Why is having a purpose so important to self-esteem in the scheme
of things? I mean, I know kids who have low self-esteem because their parents always
degrade them, or they were always made fun ofthat doesnt have anything to do with
having a purpose. My answer to this is very simplePURPOSE is so important because
it determines WHO we are and WANT to be. Consider a child who has been raised in a
very difficult home situation that has caused their self-esteem level to drop. This childs
home life has probably caused this self-esteem issue because the child never felt like he or
she was important, or like anything they did was valuable or of any worth. A lot of people

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would argue that that child will always have self-esteem issues, but what would happen if,
say, that child wound up in a classroom with a teacher who noticed this issue. This teacher
decides to help the child, but rather than baby him or her to nurture false self-esteem, the
teacher simply puts the child in a position of responsibility. It is now this childs job to
clean up after recess, sharpen pencils during free time, put other childrens papers in their
cubbies, aid the teacher by taking posters home to color, etc. At first the child is reluctant
to do these tasks because he or she feels unworthy, slowly, however, the childs
countenance transforms. The child begins to feel more confident and trust in his or her
value. The child begins to feel as if they are a necessary and vital part of the lives of those
in his or her classroom and especially to the teacher. Why does this change occur? The
child was given a PURPOSE!
So, now the question to ask is, Where does this purpose come from? I suppose that the
answer to this question would differ from person to person, but in my own life my purpose
is founded in Christ. In the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the plans I have for you,
says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future. To me personally, this scripture confirms that I do indeed have a purpose in
Christ, and it gives me hope that working towards that purpose will further me not only as
a human being, but in Gods eternal kingdom. I firmly believe that having a purpose
founded in Christ is the surest way to build true, positive self-esteem. It provides a hope
for success in all things that are done to work towards the goals you have to further
yourself in your purpose.
Now, how do all these theories and philosophies tie into education? Well, I definitely
believe that self-esteem effects the academic achievement of a child in todays schools. In

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my opinion, our schools are filled with a sense of false self-esteem. Children are overly
praised for work and accomplishments that are hardly recognizable, and kids are taught to
value academic achievement, being the best of the best, and getting along with everyone.
While these principles seem like decent and honorable things for the students to strive for,
they are not founded in truth, and therefore tend to build negative or false self-esteem.
Take for example the child who is naturally gifted in academics compared to the child
who has to work for what they accomplish. The naturally gifted child tends to put much
less effort into his or her studies, feel like he or she is better than others, and be praised a
lot more than the student who has to work hard for every grade and gets discouraged by all
the work he or she puts in for a grade someone else may get without much effort.
However, the student who is naturally gifted is much more likely to have a sense of false
self-esteem where the child who works for his or her grades would feel accomplished for
something he or she was able to do themself by hard work.
In the schools today, the results of ever depleting self-esteem are evident everywhere. It
doesnt take a rocket scientist to come into a high school and identify the kids who are
cutting, drinking, doing drugs, and more as a result of low self-esteem. Its difficult to say
what the universal answer to solving this problem is, other than inspiring kids to find a
purpose. By giving kids responsibilities that the world would say teenagers arent mature
enough to handle, you raise the expectation bar that has been set for students. When you
raise this bar, the kids will rise to the challenge and meet itthey are just oppressed by the
lowered standards that society has put on them. If kids are expected to be drunk,
irresponsible, slackers, thats what they will be, and vice versa.

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When I become a teacher, my goal will be to inspire each and every one of my students
to become more than people expect them to beto go above and beyond the standards that
have been set for them, find a purpose, and fly with it! When you are working hard to meet
your goals, you feel great when you realize how you are furthering yourself. To me,
purpose is key.