Teachers with low self-esteem tend to be :

 

  - More critical of their students

  - Display less patience in their instruction

  - Show less empathy for children with problems

  - Engage in less effective problem solving.

  - Tend to approach teaching from an authoritative position

 

Many of these same teachers find it difficult to have intimate, friendly relationships with children because they fear that their image as an authority figure will be undermined. They chip away at the self-esteem of their students and stifle creativity and enthusiasm for learning. They discourage children from taking risks, and make them dependent on adults.

 

Students who work with a teacher who has low self-esteem engage in more defensive behavior than do those students whose teachers feel good about themselves.

 

Teachers who feel good about themselves enable their students to grow in many ways:

  - They encourage children to test their own abilities

  - Explore new fields

  - Set their own goals

  - Become more independent.

 

Teachers with high self-esteem are generally accepting of their students, even when they fail to meet the teachers’ expectations of them.

Such teachers tend to have faith in their students and are more positive in their remarks to parents during parent evenings.

 

Teachers with high self-esteem are also more apt to help children develop problem-solving strategies. They build a sense of trust in students and base their classroom control techniques on understanding, joint cooperation, and involvement by working through problems and demonstrating mutual respect. This positive relationship enables children to learn and develop their confidence and ability to function independently.