Developing Positive Self-Images & Discipline in Black Children by Jawanza Kunjufu

Work events, for example, may be particularly hard. Certain scenarios may increase your self-doubt and lead to more negative self-talk. However, forming a new habit takes time and effort. If you’re generally more pessimistic, you can learn to shift your inner dialogue to be more encouraging and uplifting. Positive self-talk takes practice if it’s not your natural instinct. Positive: I can and will give it my all to make it work. Negative: There’s just no way this will work. Positive: This is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn from others and grow. Negative: I’ve never done this before and I’ll be bad at it. Negative: I let everyone on my team down when I didn’t score. Positive: I am capable and strong, and I want to get healthier for me. Negative: I’m overweight and out of shape. Positive: I’m proud of myself for even trying. Negative: I failed and embarrassed myself. Positive: I have the power to change my mind. Negative: I’ll disappoint everyone if I change my mind. Recognizing some of your own negative self-talk in these scenarios may help you develop skills to flip the thought when it occurs. A list of 88 references is appended.These scenarios are examples of when and how you can turn negative self-talk into positive self-talk. Each of six chapters includes a list of suggested questions, exercises, and projects. Parents are the first and primary educators, and the parent-child relationship is the key to supplemental nurturance and high expectations. Developing self-discipline requires adult consistency and positive reinforcement of good behavior. An effective curriculum must acknowledge that African American children have a higher verve, are relational in their thought processes, and are more oral in cognition than Whites. The following are major hindrances to the education of African American children: (1) the banking approach (2) the certainty principle (3) grades (4) rote learning and (5) the word approach to reading. The following institutions should strive to emphasize African images that are instrumental in developing self-esteem in African American children: (1) the home (2) the peer group (3) television (4) the school and (5) the church. The following factors have had a negative influence on their development: (1) chronic unemployment and underemployment (2) the changing concept of childhood (3) elitism (4) low expectations (5) lack of commitment to educating all children and (6) misuse of achievement tests to label and place students. Developing positive self-images and self-discipline is a prerequisite for the effective education of African American children.

Developing Positive Self-Images & Discipline in Black Children by Jawanza Kunjufu