Unstuck: Shifting the negative identity of a child or a group

Educators of West Park Elementary School. Please see your school admin for more information.

Unstuck: Shifting the negative identity of a child or a group

Description:

For an individual child: Children and youth can get stuck in roles that prevent them from thriving. This is especially true for the kids who are the most emotionally blocked and are labelled as ‘problem kids’ due to their behavioural challenges. How kids see themselves has a huge impact on who they are and who they will grow to be. It can be really hard for children and youth who see themselves as the ‘bad’ kid to get out of that role. This presentation will shed light on the various ways that we can help children to experience themselves differently so that their identity can expand. We will explore relationship-based strategies that can help us to support this process so that the children in our care can thrive and discover their best selves.

For a group: Every teacher in a school knows which class is the “bad” class. We might hear stories about this class and dread when they age up and become our problem. The problem is that they too probably know that they are the “bad” class. The relationships we develop with our individual students are very important. But it’s not just our relationship to individual students that matters but also our relationship to the collective—to the group. This presentation will examine practical strategies we can use to support our classes in creating a positive collective identity.