Bad egg! Horrible kid! Evil! Devil! – These are only a few, of many labels that I have heard children be named. And trust me, they can get worse. Honestly speaking, I can even put my hand up and say that I have negatively labelled children before. Unfortunately, it is a common aspect of human nature, one that I hope to help improve within this true story about how a young boy improved his behaviour by modelling a Superhero.
Jace (fake name) is one of my most outstanding achievements. A boy that to this day, amongst the years that have passed, and hundreds to thousands of kids that I have worked with in between, is still someone that I sit back and think of with that heart burning warmth of amazement with how much he had developed his positive behaviour. How did he do it? He became a superhero!
Before meeting Jace, I was warned. “He will be your biggest problem! He is 10, is at the level of a 6 year old, is disruptive, regularly suspended, and father has just gone to jail.”
Every teachers’ dream student, right?
And as I started teaching that class, the warning could not have been more correct!
It was 2016, and the class were talking about the Batman v Superman movie. So, I asked the class which superhero’s are their favourites. There was the standard split between Batman and Superman, with the only student not to say who was their favourite, was Jace.
“Jace! Who is your favourite superhero?”
“Mr, I like villains!”
“Jace, what makes you like the villains?”
“Because everyone thinks I’m evil, so I think I’m evil, so I like evil!”
My heart sank before having a light bulb moment! What if he can be taught the way of the superhero? The way of how to be ‘good!’
Class Project
Next step, class project: research a superhero (or many superhero’s) and learn their behaviours, i.e., how do they act? What are their actions? What do they believe in? Etc.
Now how can you be like that superhero? To be like that superhero, how can you act? What can your actions be? What will you believe in?
I sat down with Jace.
“Jace, if you had a choice, or even a reset button, who would you like to be?”
“Mr, I wish I was Superman! I wish I could help people when they need help! To beat the bad guy! I wish people would like me, like Superman!”
Superman now became the role-model for Jace. When Jace would act negatively, I asked “Jace, what how would Superman act now? What would Superman do?” He would then correct his behaviour and his attitude to suit that of Superman.
Over time, Jace would need fewer reminders about how to be like Superman. It became second nature to him; thus, the installation of good behaviours within Jace had succeeded through improved behaviour by modelling a Superhero. Jace become… Superman!
Was Jace a perfect student? Unfortunately, no! Homelife was difficult for him, and some days you never know how he will arrive, based on what might have happened previously. Plus add in the 10 years of negative mindset training that had occurred in his past. However, his behavioural improvement was huge. He was able to focus for more extended periods, he was able to improve on his learning, and most importantly, he was able to build relationships with other students.
Jace, if you ever read this, I hope you are well, and I hope you continue to be Superman.
Dear readers, if you have any questions or would like to share your success stories, please feel free to comment. The more we can spread the message, the better our humanity can develop.
Read here on how a mentor can leave a positive impact on your child.
Sincerely,
The Educationalist
