‘Self-Esteem Is Earned’

Schmoker’s misunderstanding of self-esteem reflects the same substandard performance about which he complains. Schmoker has confused self-esteem with other-esteem.

Our self-esteem emanates from our heart and impacts upon our mind and soul, thereby reflecting the miraculous reality of our being. The clearer the reflection the better we feel. Our other-esteem forms from that which is outside of us and reflects our relationship with other concepts, things and people. Ideally the two are compatible. Much more often than not, however, children, being wonderfully vulnerable and trusting, are unintentionally overpowered by others into receiving harmful, mind and soul injuring experiences from without--experiences which children are unfortunately taught are “good for them.” Thus we learn early that to experience an esteemed relationship with others requires the pathological sacrifice of our self-esteem.

Schmoker needs to realize that a child’s experience of his/her school performance is a function of other-esteem, and that the traditional extreme emphasis on left-brained reading, writing and math fosters an imbalance of the cerebral hemispheres which is harmful to a child’s health, and is symptomatic of a neurotically competitive society which compulsively places greater value on what others think about us than how we feel about ourselves.

It is in the best interest of the human race that “academic excellence” be sacrificed to self-esteem until a time when the nature of such instruction is no longer self-destructive.

CHIP STINNETT

Fountain View