CURRICULUM GUIDE FOR S.C. TEACHER CADET COURSE | EXPERIENCING EDUCATION, TENTH EDITION
The Self-Esteem Fraud
Objective: Students will be able to identify ways in which self-esteem has been
misinterpreted or misused in children’s lives and education.
Essential Question: What is the connection between self-esteem and academic
achievement?
Activities:
1. As a homework assignment, the students will read “The Self-Esteem Fraud:
Feel-Good Education Does Not Lead to Academic Success.”
2. Have each Cadet bring a “snippet” to class for discussion. Using a large index card,
each student will record the following on one side of the card:
a) a significant statement (“snippet” – phrase, sentence, or, at most, a paragraph)
b) the page where the “snippet” is found
On the other side of the index card, he/she will record the following: his/her reaction
to the “snippet” – his/her interpretation of it, its relevance, its significance, etc.
3. In class, each student will read his/her “snippet” and his/her reaction to it. Ask each
student to invite the comments of classmates about his/her “snippet” or reaction to it.
This activity should produce a rich and varied discussion that is more student than
teacher-led.
Note: The instructor might want to assign certain pages to students to assure that snippets
will be selected throughout the entire article.
Materials:
• Handout: “The Self-Esteem Fraud: Feel-Good Education Does Not Lead to Academic
Success” (abridged)
• Large index cards (one per student)
Assessment:
Have students create a T-chart. On the left hand side of the T-chart, record effective uses
and outcomes of positive self-esteem; on the right hand side of the T-chart, record ineffective
uses and negative outcomes of low or “empty” self