*This is a flex course which means that we do NOT meet for a live session. There will be pre-recorded videos throughout this course to enhance the learning experience*

This course is an in-depth look at self-esteem and how we can help our youth find ways to improve the way they look at themselves. We will break down different elements that will in turn help them to build themselves back up. We will have discussions, activities, self-exploration challenges, and some extended homework that is optional but well worth it. I will be uploading videos weekly based on the topics for that specific week. There will be bi-weekly activities that will accompany the video. Each student will be able to participate and give a voice to the topics discussed. Student engagement is highly important in this course. Students will complete activities that they will upload and share with their peers. We will have discussions about the activities that each student can engage in. I will also be completing the activities to not only help increase understanding of activities but also allow the learners to be more comfortable with me as the teacher. The activities can be vulnerable at times and my own interaction is meant to allow the learners to know that they are not alone in their feelings.

Please look over the weeks below to get an in-depth look at each week and what topics will be discussed. I am aware that some of the topics may be difficult for some learners. If there are any concerns, please reach out to me so we can address these immediately. My goal is for each student to feel safe in the classroom to begin a growth in a positive way. I want each student to leave with extra tools to help them think more positively about themselves and the world around them.

Week 1: In this week we will get to know the other learners in order to become comfortable in the classroom setting. It is important to gain the trust from our peers so we can really work on ourselves. This week we will also Identify and explain what self-esteem is and how we acquire our own thoughts about ourselves. These are learned from those around us and how we see ourselves in the mirror. You will see a break-down of what to expect in this week below:
*Introductions and ice breaker. 
*What is self-esteem?
*What do we see in the mirror?
*What do others say about us?

Week 2: In this week we will delve into those pesky negative thoughts that creep into our minds. We will process what they mean and how they may appear. Students will be able to share when they hear those negative words the most and the voice that it seems to take (their own, their friends, their family). We will choose ways to reverse those words into positive words that we can say to ourselves. This is a BIG practice in the classroom that will encourage additional work outside the classroom. I encourage all students to use the Positivity Journal packet in the optional resources to record when they have those thoughts and how they changed them to positive ones. They can use the journal provided or create their own! Please reference the activities and topics from this week below:
*What is negative self talk?
*How does this negative talk affect us?
*How do we change our negative thoughts, words, and actions?
*Positivity Journal
*When it rains, look for the rainbow activity. 

Week 3: During this week we will continue with our positive attitude as we begin indulging in affirmations. What is an affirmation and how can it serve to help us? Students will be encouraged to glance in a mirror and think of some affirmations to themselves. We will also practice giving affirmations to each other. This is easier to do than the latter and we will explain why that is. We will also be completing a ROCK affirmation activity to allow students to have a concrete affirmation to keep as a reminder of who they truly are. I am also including another challenge to all students to give themselves 1-3 affirmations a day. This can be done with a guardian or by themselves in the morning or before bed. Please look at the activities below and feel free to reach out for additional resources if needed:
*What is an affirmation?
*Why are they important?
*How can we give affirmations?
*How do we receive affirmations?
*Affirmation rock paintings.
*Daily challenge. 

Week 4: We are halfway through and I want each student to begin thinking about themselves and who they want to be. We will begin this week with identifying who we are. I will ask the students to complete some activities to help them describe themselves and who they are in this moment. We will also begin to think of our ideal selves. What types of personality traits do we want to have, where do we want to be with academics or socially, what path do we want to be on. Once we see these we can process the anxiety that comes from the difference in who we are and where we want to be. We want to be able to mold the ideal self to match who we are. We will all work together to find harmony within ourselves. 
*Who am I?
*What are my personality traits?
*Who do I want to be?
*What personality traits do I wish to hold?
*How can I make my true self similar to my ideal self?
*Create an outline or Venn diagram to help mold our ideal and true selves together. 

Week 5: In this week we want to focus on our bodies and how they fuel us. We will begin by drawing a self-portrait. They can print the outline or free-hand draw. I want the students to recognize their own body and what it looks like on paper. We will then begin discussing what our body does for us. We will break down each body part, such as our eyes, ears, and legs and explain why we are thankful for the mechanics of these body parts. "We can't see the beauty in the world if we didn't have our eyes". As we go through this process, each student will be able to see how powerful their body is and how it can fuels us each and every day! This can be eye-opening to really look at how our body is a temple that sustains us, which helping us appreciate ourselves in a different light. We will end this week with an activity on creating wishes. Students will be able to identify different types of wishes that they have. This will allow them to have goals which increases their self-awareness. 
*Draw picture of my body.
*What can your body do for you?
*How powerful is your body?
*Wishes activity.

Week 6: During week 6 we will identify situations that are in and out of our control. It is easy to worry about lots of different situations but we can control how we react to them. We will work together to identify situations that we cannot control, such as weather and traffic. We will then think about situations and reactions that we can control, such as walking away or using an umbrella in the rain. This will allow us to see what situations we can put our energy into and those that we shouldn't. We will then practice identifying ways we can handle the situations that are out of our control. We will also look at worst case/best case scenarios. In any event, there can be situations that arise. We will train our mind to think of worst case and best case scenarios. This allows us to plan for the worst case so we know how we want to confront it if this occurs. We will then be able to go into the situation with our eyes open and ready! Please look over this week's activities so you can be prepared!
*What can we control?
*What can't we control?
*How do we handle situations we can't control?
*What's the worst case?
*What's the best case?

Week 7: This week we will work on judgments. Our minds begin to judge easily and we have to retrain them to avoid making judgments towards ourselves and others. We will begin by identifying times we make judgments on ourselves and how we can avoid these. We will then identify ways to avoid judging others when we meet them. This is where empathy for others and even ourselves can come into play. What is empathy and how can we expect children to engage in empathetic behaviors? We will work on the basic underlying elements of becoming more empathetic. I will have an exercise prepared to allow others to place themselves in someone else's shoes. Please be available if this is a more difficult week for our students and their growth.
*How to turn off judgments towards ourselves.
*How to turn off judgments towards others. 
*How to appreciate what we have and where we are.
*How to increase our empathy for others and ourselves. 

Week 8: It is our LAST week! We will look at how social media can negatively impact our self-esteem and how we can avoid the negative side. Social media has grown immensely with our younger generation which allows them to remain connected to peers, especially during this pandemic. On the flip side, it allows our younger kids to be at the hands of social comparison in a greater capacity. If they are engaging online, there is an increased chance of negative posts to affect our youth. We will take this time to talk about steps we can take to avoid any negative sites or words that we may come across. We will talk about ways to unfollow the people or organizations that bring us anxiety and negative self-identification. We will end our class with thoughts and fears moving forward. What are the goals of our peers to continue working on their own growth. We will all write letters to ourselves that our guardians will send in the mail so we can read what we were feeling in this moment any time we may need it. 
*What is social media.
*How can social media negatively impact our own self-worth. 
*How can we avoid issues with social media and our self-esteem. 
*How do we separate online forums from real life?
*Letter to ME!

Rules for my classroom:
1. Be courteous at all times. Always think of others in the class when we react to topics in the lesson.
2. I will NOT allow negativity towards another person inside or outside the classroom. We do not attack other humans with harsh words and this goes for this course. 
3. It is mandatory for class participation. We will use different avenues to increase the learning of the concepts.