Pride is Ownership
Ultimately, pride comes from having a sense of ownership in something. So, the first thing we have to remember is that in order for students of any age to have pride in anything, they must first feel as if they have some control over their learning and their ideas matter.
Let's take schoolwork, for instance. Taking ownership isn't such a difficult thing for students to do when they are given choices. For example, try giving your students a choice in the types of assignments they complete. Or ask, 'What do you want to do first? Read in your textbook or work on this report?' Simple things such as this can really be effective in encouraging students to take pride in the work that they do.
Perhaps the easiest way to get students to take pride in their work is to set standards, or have very specific guidelines, for how that work is to be done. Just allowing a child to slap his name on a paper and jot something down really quickly is not going to instill pride.
It is important to let students know details such as how their name should be written on their papers, the format for presenting work, and the process for making revisions. When students better understand the expectations, they are more likely to feel confident and strive to achieve the goal. Everyone, including students, should have goals, no matter how small. Accomplishing these goals instills pride. And, remember, students will perform to your expectations, so it is wise to have very high expectations!
Another tip that will instill pride is to display student work around the classroom. Students of any age enjoy seeing their work displayed in class. And the work you display doesn't necessarily have to be the 'best' of the bunch, either. It can be the most improved work, the neatest work, or any other category that you can think of.
Pride in Surroundings
In addition to having pride in their output, you also want students to have pride in their immediate surroundings - their classroom. Think of it this way: You wouldn't want to sit around in a disorganized pigsty all day, would you? Neither would they.
Give them specific jobs on specific days. For example, it should be someone's job to erase the board on Mondays, someone else's job on Tuesdays, etc. Encourage students to treat the desks, tables, and chairs like furniture in their home. The sense of pride they have for their classroom will very likely carry over into their work.
Pride in Peers
Teamwork skills are important for future success and having pride in each other supports this development. If given opportunity to help each other via peer tutoring, where students help other students to improve in their skills, or via mentoring, where one student takes another under his wing and shows him how something is done, they will surely develop pride in each other, because the success of the assisted student's success is a reflection of how well he was helped.
Students will also have pride in their peers when they have opportunities to celebrate their accomplishments. Did your students recently take a difficult test? Why not recognize those who earned A's and B's or those who made the most improvement? You don't have to give them anything - just a round of applause will suffice. Did a student complete a 10K or a marathon? Recognition for accomplishments outside of school is important, too.
Lesson Summary
Remember, instilling a sense of pride in students is important. Students can and should be proud of their accomplishments, their class work, their classroom, and one another. Ultimately, pride is about ownership. When students have a real sense of ownership in something, they are much more likely to be proud of it. There are many things that you, as a teacher, can do in order to foster pride among your students. Setting high standards, displaying work, recognizing accomplishments, and assigning specific jobs all go a long way toward orchestrating student pride.
