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Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Education Essay

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Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Education

Walk through any school and one fact becomes strikingly clear, every student is different. Living conditions, health, and confidence are a few of the factors that vary dramatically from student to student. However, one commonality can be detected among all learners, they all have needs. Although many individuals might disagree on the importance of these needs, the needs themselves are apparent. One psychological theory, developed by Abraham Maslow, is that our needs can be arranged in “a hierarchy ascending from such basic physiological needs as hunger and thirst through safety and love needs to needs for esteem, and ultimately, self-actualization” (Mischel 211). Commonly known as Maslow’s …show more content…

Fortunately, many schools provide free breakfast and lunch programs for students who cannot afford to pay for food, so this need can be met with ease. However, to aid in the satisfaction of this need, I would allow students to have snacks in class as long as they were neat and did not distract the class from learning. Meeting the needs of clothing and sleep might be more difficult. If a student had one bad night and was falling asleep in class, I would allow them to sleep in my class but I would discuss the situation with them after class. On the other hand, if the student was falling asleep on a daily basis, I would feel obligated to alert a guidance counselor. The topic of clothing is a tough one because it could be awkward to bring up this subject to a student. If I had a student who was wearing ripped or dirty clothing everyday, I probably would not confront the student for fear of embarrassing them but I would definitely alert my school counselor. Many educators might feel uncomfortable about bringing up the topic of physical needs to a student. Nevertheless, the issue must be addressed in order for a student to become a productive member of society.

Following physiological needs are safety needs. The freedom from being harmed in any way, either in the present or the future, is basically

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