Children, Empowerment and Choice

For more on Motivating Students, Get the book today! Bring Susan to your campus! How Can School & Home Develop Motivation and Success for Youth? Give your students the priceless gifts of empowerment, accountability, and motivation to tackle any learning challenge. Learn practical strategies today and implement them in your curriculum tomorrow. Bring Susan to your campus! Featured seminar – How Can School & Home Develop Motivation and Success for Youth?

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What is Empowerment?

Last week, I talked about the importance of teaching students to be empowered.  Empowerment is the belief that you can do something and have the skills and resources to do it. Empowerment is having the ability, power, and authority to act on your own behalf. Empowerment is the belief that you are in charge of yourself, your choices, and your decisions.

Children become empowered when they are allowed to make decisions and take responsibility for those decisions. Everything we do is a choice. Even indecision is a choice: we decide not to decide. When we realize that we have choices and own the outcome of those choices, we are empowered. When we are affirmed because of our choices and the learning derived from them, we are empowered.

When children feel powerless, they cannot act on their own behalf. Children who do not feel empowered will not be able to stand up for themselves against a bully or against peer pressure and drugs. Empowerment and self-esteem go hand in hand. One truly cannot exist without the other.

Affirming children is one way to encourage a sense of empowerment. I’ve always believed in the power of suggestion. When my kids were still living at home, I would check on my sleeping children every night before I retired. I’d kiss them good-night and say two things to them: “I love you” and “You are very special.” Sometimes, in their sleep, they would smile and agree with me. I’ve done this since they were infants. I’ve read about people learning from tapes while they are sleeping. I figured it’s worth a try.

Consider these practical ideas to promote empowerment:

• Use authoritative discipline.
• Create opportunities for decision making, problem solving, and leadership.
• Teach the ‘bully’ to get what he/she needs without bullying.
• Teach the ‘victim’ how NOT to be a victim.
• Teach children WHY people do what they do. Understanding reduces fear. Fear is the greatest obstacle to empowerment and self-esteem.
• Teach skills that help children to feel empowered.

For more on Motivating Students, Get the book today! Bring Susan to your campus! How Can School & Home Develop Motivation and Success for Youth? Give your students the priceless gifts of empowerment, accountability, and motivation to tackle any learning challenge. Learn practical strategies today and implement them in your curriculum tomorrow. Bring Susan to your campus! Featured seminar – How Can School & Home Develop Motivation and Success for Youth?

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The post What is Empowerment? appeared first on Susan Fitzell.

Teaching Students to Be Empowered

Teaching young people empowerment is one of the best ways to decrease conflict in their lives.  Empowerment is having the ability, power, and authority to act on your own behalf.  Empowerment is believing that you are in charge of yourself, your choices, and your decisions.

When young people feel empowered, when they believe that they are in control of their own choices, they will not only make better choices, but will also be able to better deal with any conflicts that arise.

Young people become empowered when they are allowed to make decisions and take responsibility for those decisions.  When they realize that they have choices and own the outcome of those choices, they are empowered.  When they are affirmed because of their choices and the learning derived from them, they are empowered.

When young people feel powerless, on the other hand, they cannot act on their own behalf.  Students who do not feel empowered will not be able to stand up for themselves against a bully or against peer pressure and drugs.

Therefore, it is very important to teach young people to be empowered.  There are several simple ways to help young people feel empowered and in charge of their choices and lives:

• Use authoritative discipline- Let young people have a say in both the rules of the house or the classroom and the consequences for breaking those rules.  They will be less likely to break the rules if they had a part in creating them and fully understand their consequences.
• Create opportunities for decision making, problem, solving, and leadership- Try role-playing conflict scenarios, or help young people discuss an actual conflict, encouraging them to take responsibility for their part in the argument.
• Teach the “bully” to get what he/she needs without bullying- Teach better communication skills through role-playing or other exercises.
• Tell the “victim” how NOT to be a victim- Teach students ways to express their feelings without making the conflict worse, and make sure they know to tell an adult if a bullying situation becomes serious.
• Explain to youth WHY people do what they do- Understanding reduces fear, and fear is the greatest obstacle to empowerment and self-esteem.
• Teach other skills that help children to feel empowered.

Developmentally appropriate conflict resolution solutions! Get this Book Now! A unique approach to helping ourselves and our children deal with conflict Get Susan Fitzell's book now. Don't waste any time Free the Children, Conflict Education for Strong, Peaceful Minds Bring Susan to your campus! Featured seminar – Bullying: Choices and Consequences

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