How Formal Education Can Help Your Kid Develop Confidence

Self-confidence is trusting one’s qualities, abilities, and decision-making. It is the foundation of every communication your kid gets involved in, every collaboration he indulges in, every creative angle he desires to explore, and every other thing for that matter. Your nearby CBSE schools and even top schools affiliated with other boards generally focus on this aspect of formal education quite seriously whereby they conduct different kinds of activities to develop the self-confidence in your kid. Hence, the role played by formal education is quite vast, and it is so not only the parents who bear this responsibility of preparing their kids for their full potential.

Why is self-confidence essential?

It is essential to have self-confidence for multiple reasons.

• When your kid has self-confidence, your kid is able to communicate with others with a kind of individuality that shines.
• Your kid is able to express himself/herself with resoluteness.
• It is not only academics that your kid excels in, his/her overall performance sees improvement.
• Your kid will be able to resist peer pressure and make decisions on his/her own.
• When your kid is open to new experiences because of the confidence he/she has in himself/herself, creative and critical thinking skills get stimulated.
• Your kid will be able to accept failures with grace and will not feel afraid to try again.
• Self-confidence increases your kid’s quality of life.

There are also various other reasons why self-confidence is essential and why your nearby CBSE schools and those top schools affiliated with other boards focus upon it.

Self-confidence comes very close to what is called self-love and self-esteem, which relate to the way we feel about ourselves. That said, self-confidence is the foundation of a positive personality, and academics and formal education, in general, have the responsibility of inculcating self-confidence in kids because what is learning if the student does not have the confidence to apply that learning!

How do schools develop the confidence of their students?

It is best if your kid ingrains confidence in himself/herself before reaching the level of higher secondary education. This is because the earlier your kid learns self-confidence, the deeper the confidence would be. Yes, self-confidence can be learned and taught. We are not born confident; we learn to become confident. Here are some ways in which school education builds self-confidence in your kid before he/she reaches the higher secondary level.

• Children in school get to participate in activities like theatre and quizzes whereby your kid can seize the opportunity and try to get out of his/her shell.
• Children in school also get the opportunities to take part in competitions that can help them develop belief in their own capabilities.
• When teachers and peers appreciate your kid for the ideas he/she shares, or even help make the ideas better, this is bound to make your kid flexible enough along with being confident.
• Schools may also provide numerous opportunities for your kid to take the lead and believe in his/her own decisions.
• Formal education offers a broad scope for your kid to explore diverse interests and passions.
• Children in school also get the opportunity to make age-appropriate decisions (for example, whether your kid wants to express his/her views through writing, drawing, or public speaking).

When teachers display your kid’s artwork in the classroom, praise your kid in front of the class and other teachers, or make time to attend to your kid’s individual needs, etc. all such things create a learning environment that is most conducive to the development of self-confidence in your kid. And when your kid knows, without any sense of doubt, that you love him/her unconditionally, that’s when wonders happen the most on behalf of formal education!

(Also, Read: The Role of Extra-Curricular Activities in School Education)