Pride is the feeling of empowering satisfaction in oneself that motivates an individual to strive for success and improvement. Although it can be healthy for one’s self-concept and confidence, it can also be self-destructive if taken too far. In this lesson, pre-kindergartners learn the two sides of pride, and how they can manage to keep it positive.
An illustrative puppet play, featuring Squeak and Mimi, opens this lesson. It shows Squeak feeling proud of himself. In fact, he is being too proud. Mimi tells Squeak that he’s taking his pride a little too far. Through this play, the pre-kindergartners understand why taking pride too far can lead to negative thoughts and actions.
"Too much pride can lead to overconfidence, which can distract the mind, reduce mental focus, and motivate impulsive actions. These conditions can worsen daily performance and hinder success in academics and life."
The purpose of this lesson is to teach students the positive action of managing their pride. The students learn that being proud when they do something positive is a great way to celebrate themselves. Setting Squeak as an example, the students also learn that taking pride too far may make them treat others negatively. This can cause them to become grumpy and can also make others grumpy with them. So, this lesson equips the students with the skills and knowledge on how they can correct their behavior and manage their feeling of pride.
As a reinforcement, the class participates in an SEL activity that allows each student to manage their feeling of pride. Then, they sing and dance to the Positive Action song, "Grumpy Grouch/Bright Sider" at least twice. To end the lesson, the ICU messages from the ICU box are read to acknowledge and celebrate the students’ positive actions.
Too much pride can lead to overconfidence, which can distract the mind, reduce mental focus, and motivate impulsive actions. These conditions can worsen daily performance and hinder success in academics and life.
To thrive, pre-kindergartners must learn to build their self-concept without being overly proud. This is an important lesson that teaches them how to manage their feelings of pride using their self-management skills.
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