There is a common belief among people not involved in public and private education that a teacher's main function is to teach reading, writing, maths and sciences, both hard and social. While the academic knowledge is certainly important, there is another crucial aspect of teaching in the classroom that takes precedence: Nurturing hope and confidence in students.

How can a teacher teach hope, you will ask? The answer lies in the depths of children's psyche, as attested by the famous 'Ego Psychologist' Erikson. In his theory of personality, Erikson suggests that the first stage of infancy creates hope which in turn is developed through trust in the person taking care of us. Such hope however may be shattered during the initial school years if the teacher doesn't create a learning experience based on the positive. I still vividly remember my third year teacher, an unmarried woman, who apparently had decided that all men were evil and who took every opportunity to ridicule the male students in her class. The experience destroyed what little faith I had in my own abilities - I was 9 years old after all - and it took me several years with caring teachers to recover.

With hope comes confidence in oneself, for a child cannot develop self-esteem if the environment is bereft of hope; hope is a fertile soil that requires constant care in order to grow other positive emotions. If I do not trust my mentors, including my parents, it will be extremely difficult in later years to develop into a mature and wise adult. Erikson uses the word 'competence' when studying the development of the personality between the ages of 6 and puberty. The child is able to compare his/her own competence against his/her peers in the classroom. The famed psychologist emphasizes the role of the teacher in making certain that his/her students don't develop a sense of inferiority; this makes elementary (grammar) school the most important stage in education. Again, hope, self-confidence and competence go hand in hand in creating a high degree of self-esteem without arrogance or sense of superiority.

If we are able to create and maintain such a stable ego in our elementary students, their subsequent experience in middle - and high school will almost certainly be positive. Unfortunately, as a high school teacher myself, I see too many cases of teens who have lost hope and confidence in their own abilities. Teenagers have a very difficult task, as Erikson explains; they must forge their own identity, they must find out what their purpose is in life and they must satisfactorily answer some very tough existential questions. If they arrive at puberty without hope and confidence, there is little chance that they will be able to find their role in our society. We can, of course, still guide our teens toward social success through adequate counseling, but sometimes high school teachers don't have the time and/or training to detect such needs and offer their help.

We should, as a society, provide schools with sufficient resources to assist students in need of personal attention. The family itself must participate in order to help the parents give the psychological care that children need. Although some school districts have attempted to offer family counseling, few parents are able to afford such service because of time limitations. The ideal solution would be, of course, for the specialists to work at the student's home itself, even if it means going on Saturdays or Sundays. Budget constraints and the scarcity of qualified specialists limit the counseling services that can be provided. Another area which requires attention is the more intensive training of elementary teachers to allow them to channel students in need of help. In this case, prevention is the key and the benefits are enormous both for the school and for society in general.

Born in Switzerland many years ago and now living in Brownsville, Tx, where I teach special education in a local high school. I love my job and the challenges involved in making a difference for so many bright kids who struggle to overcome their disabilities.
I have followed education topics and international politics for the past 25 years and have lived in Europe and Latin America before settling in the U.S.

My website: http://www.ahappyway.com