When Child Psychology and Sociology Collide in the Classroom: The Pygmalion Effect

Let's raise the bar on educating our children! Have you ever noticed that when you proclaim to a child all the wonderful things that they are, the child believes it and will act upon that. Now I am not saying to create an emotional disaster and put high expectations above what they can accomplish. What I am saying is that it is time to use the Pygmalion Effect in the classroom, like never before.

I am not sure about anyone else but I get tired of hearing "grown" adults complain about the children in their lives. How about the many (too many) cases of children being bullied in schools. It is time for the teachers in their life to take these hurtful situations and use them in a reverse complexity.

Let's rearrange the social well being of our children and implement the simple task of the Pygmalion Effect into their lives. I know that some of you are probably wondering what the Pygmalion Effect is? Well let me ease your mind. When a child believes that they are awesome in school, they WILL be awesome in school. There is no more, "gee little Johnny cannot spell". However, little Johnny can spell and will spell.

When we raise the bar on our own way of thinking (adults) then we will see a great social improvement in our classrooms and in our homes. The same goes for the psychological and emotional well being of our children. If a child is told that they are great at whatever they do, they will make darn sure that they are good at it. However, we still need to be careful not to raise the bar more than it needs to be raised; we do not want our children to stress about not pleasing us.

Yes, encourage high expectations of your child (or student) but also encourage ANY progress. This should be the blueprint for any parent and teacher alike when it comes to raising and teaching our children. A child needs to know that you have expectations of them, but they also need to know that they are awesome for trying. It really never has to be complicated.

The Pygmalion Effect has been proven to help children succeed in learning and in relationships as well as improvement in their psychological well being. This is the best first step to quality teaching when you care to give the very best.