How to Build Confidence in Students

I watched the movie "Eighth Grade" last night and I found it informative and relatable for teens, with splashes of humor at times. The main character, Kayla, is in her last week of middle school and preparing to transition to the high school. The movie shows the ups and downs of Kayla's week,  from her interactions and posts to social media platforms all the way to her face to face interactions with her peers, high school students, and her dad. I thought the main message was the way that Kayla gained confidence in herself, during a time in life where it is important for young females to begin cultivating and feeling confident. One thing that Kayla noticeably lacked in the movie was the presence of a mother, who often times can help to cultivate this in a young female. The father is tasked with being supportive to Kayla.

There were several reasons Kayla developed the confidence in herself. One way was from within through personal reflection. She did this several times, via vlogging on YouTube and also recording videos to her future self. Another way Kayla developed confidence was from the relationship she formed with a high school mentor who was sweet and friendly towards Kayla and gave really good advice about not worrying about "the small things." A final reason Kayla developed confidence was from the loving and imperfect relationship she had with her dad. Her dad struggled to engage with her in the beginning because Kayla was allowed to be on her phone at the dinner table and they faced challenges in connecting in person. After Kayla breaks down and is vulnerable with her dad about her lack of self confidence (she asks her dad if she makes him sad), her dad's response is full of love and respect and pride in Kayla. His response was perfect, considering he made some poor parenting choices throughout (spying on her at the mall for example; but he apologizes!). He explains to her that her kindness comes from within. This is a really powerful idea to instill in a young person. In my opinion, this is the first step in Kayla becoming a more independent thinker and a large boost in self confidence and deriving from within rather than relying on it from others.

It's often that I hear people comment on younger people and their addiction to technology and it's rare that I hear them see the good in the use of technology. While I don't necessarily love the idea of deriving self confidence from selfies and vlogging for the world, I think in the right circumstance and with balance, they can be powerful tools for young females. One of the ways this works, according to USA Today.com, is that "users remember what they like best about themselves." Some other benefits that the article mentions is that people have found support online in times of stress or sadness and social media has helped to reduce some of the stigma around mental health. Read more here via the article.