It's not the red soled shoes that we wear; it's not the car that we drive; it's not even the house that we live in, but the greatest gift of all is the gift of life. And if you have ever experienced the birth of a child then you understand. Sudden everything that we possess pales in comparison to the miracle of life---the precious and undeniable miracle of life. It is what we celebrate at birth and cling to at the hour of death.
It is with that understanding that we begin.
It is the premise that life and the collective lives of many becomes our nation's greatest investment . It is an investment in human capital.
And at the time of that birth, that gift of life, we have not a clue who he or she will become. We simply don't know if we are holding the next Dr. Ben Carson, the next Sonya Sanchez, or the next George Lucas.
But what we should know is that we are holding a child that when given the nurturing and guidance required will sprout wings and soar.
I believe there is, not only a potential that lies inside each of us, but there is a human propensity for greatness that resides within all of us.
So what happens when a little 3rd grade boy says to me, " This is my first time on stage. I'm not smart. I'm bad.
" What happens... well, we typically build another prison cell for yet another little boy who grows up with a shattered self-image and consumed with self-hate.
And who do we blame? You? Me? His parents? His school? His religious institution? His community? Or maybe when we run out of folks to blame we just simply blame him?
When I experienced his self-dehumanization, I had a sense that I had failed him. You had failed him. We all had failed him.
And the one thing I was certain of was that the one thing he needed was acknowledgement of worth. He needed self-efficacy. He needed to be valued, accepted, and yes loved.
This little boy needed to know he was a gift. He needed to know he had value and that he mattered.
Somewhere between birth and 8 years of life on earth this little boy had already loss his love of self.
Social cognitive theory identifies self-efficacy as achievement that results from interplay between one's actions, thoughts, and beliefs, and the external conditions in which one lives.
No one will argue that self- efficacy predicts student academic achievement and learning.
And no one will argue that a student's ability, beliefs, and expectancies for success predict student's performance outcomes.
And here's the kicker: the feedback effect. Yes, it's the effect that says higher levels of self-worth and self efficacy can lead to higher rates of success and higher rates of success lead to self- efficacy.
We, mere mortals, are the receivers of the gift of life and thus we must be accountable for the feedback effect and baste in the glory when it works and live with the shame when it doesn't.
Footnote1. As quoted from "Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, "Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
It is with that understanding that we begin.
It is the premise that life and the collective lives of many becomes our nation's greatest investment . It is an investment in human capital.
And at the time of that birth, that gift of life, we have not a clue who he or she will become. We simply don't know if we are holding the next Dr. Ben Carson, the next Sonya Sanchez, or the next George Lucas.
But what we should know is that we are holding a child that when given the nurturing and guidance required will sprout wings and soar.
I believe there is, not only a potential that lies inside each of us, but there is a human propensity for greatness that resides within all of us.
So what happens when a little 3rd grade boy says to me, " This is my first time on stage. I'm not smart. I'm bad.
" What happens... well, we typically build another prison cell for yet another little boy who grows up with a shattered self-image and consumed with self-hate.
And who do we blame? You? Me? His parents? His school? His religious institution? His community? Or maybe when we run out of folks to blame we just simply blame him?
When I experienced his self-dehumanization, I had a sense that I had failed him. You had failed him. We all had failed him.
And the one thing I was certain of was that the one thing he needed was acknowledgement of worth. He needed self-efficacy. He needed to be valued, accepted, and yes loved.
This little boy needed to know he was a gift. He needed to know he had value and that he mattered.
Somewhere between birth and 8 years of life on earth this little boy had already loss his love of self.
Social cognitive theory identifies self-efficacy as achievement that results from interplay between one's actions, thoughts, and beliefs, and the external conditions in which one lives.
No one will argue that self- efficacy predicts student academic achievement and learning.
And no one will argue that a student's ability, beliefs, and expectancies for success predict student's performance outcomes.
And here's the kicker: the feedback effect. Yes, it's the effect that says higher levels of self-worth and self efficacy can lead to higher rates of success and higher rates of success lead to self- efficacy.
We, mere mortals, are the receivers of the gift of life and thus we must be accountable for the feedback effect and baste in the glory when it works and live with the shame when it doesn't.
Footnote1. As quoted from "Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory, "Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
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