Teaching Positive Self-Talk

For many students at Havern, there are aspects of school and learning that they’ve always struggled with. Sometimes they have come to believe they simply “can’t”. Empowering students to learn self-confidence and to integrate positive self-talk in their everyday lives and challenges is a value dear to Havern.

Building self-confidence in school requires opportunities for students to take risks and test their comfortability. For students with learning disabilities, school isn’t always a place where they feel safe or inspired to step outside of their comfort zone. It is so important for us as educators to change this mindset. Our goal is to help students embrace school as their safe place to try new things and succeed (or not!). We want students to know that often failing allows us to learn more than succeeding ever will. Our confidence is grown by “going for it” and learning from it. 

Last spring, Havern had the privilege of hosting Donovan Taylor Hall for a day with our students and an evening event. He was an incredible example of how we as adults can demonstrate and communicate confidence in ourselves and each other. Right away, Donovan told students that what they have to say is valuable, and all comments and questions are welcome. His genuine spirit and powerful words empowered the students to think about their own feelings and experiences, take risks, and participate freely in discussion. It was clear how inspired the students were to know someone believed in them and cared about what they had to say. Providing students with a safe place to try new things is important for them to practice, because it’s not just about being successful in school; managing self-confidence and positive self-talk is a lifelong skill we practice all the time at Havern.

I like to tell students, “You talk to yourself more than anyone.” They always think the concept of talking to themselves is strange. But it’s true; we have a constant inner dialogue that holds immense power in the way we view ourselves, our strengths and our abilities. We talk to ourselves more than anyone, so we have to be kind; we can also be daring, brave, encouraging, honest, energetic and gentle. When students can manage their inner dialogue to say “I got this!” or “Wow, I did it!”, they use that positive self-talk to open the door for more and more of those moments of pride, developing a lifelong self-confidence with limitless potential!

By Ali Birtwistle, Middle School Lead Teacher

Ali Birtwistle is the Lead Teacher in Room 217 in the Middle School program at Havern School. Ms. Birtwistle has a degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Disability Studies from University of Delaware and a Masters of Education in Reading from Eastern University. Ms. Birtwistle says, “I know that every child has potential and deserves to be successful. I love to explore how creatively our students learn and perceive the world and how incredibly big their hearts and minds are.”