Self-Management
Family Resources on Trusting Others
Lesson Topic
Students will discuss and consider the concept of trusting others and practice empathy for others.
Essential Question
How is trust developed between people?
Trusting Others – Kevin
If this lesson was used in the classroom: Students considered how to develop trust with other people. In class students participated in activity that can discourage trust in each other and used this activity as an opportunity to critically discuss the nature of trust for one another.
Getting Ready for the Conversation
The video for this module features a young adult named Kevin, who is blind as a result of an accident years ago. Kevin attends a boarding school for blind people and he is about to graduate and move out on his own. Kevin shares how he must learn to trust people even though people who are sighted can sometimes take advantage of him.
Conversation notes:
Trust is something that operates on many different levels. In Kevin’s case he has to trust people in everyday situations more so than most sighted people. Being able to trust others is essential for society to function, but learning to develop trust in others can also be difficult for some people (and sometimes for good reasons). The importance of ethical decision making is also an important topic of discussion as part of this lesson.
Article by Mirina Passalaris on building trust with a teenager from Generation Next:
https://www.generationnext.com.au/2015/04/building-trust-with-your-teen/
Article on building trust from the Boys and Girls Clubs of America blog:
https://www.bgca.org/news-stories/2022/June/ways-to-build-trust-between-parents-andteens
Some youth have difficulty trusting others for good reason, this story from NPR shows how one program helps youth learn to trust others again:
https://www.npr.org/2018/12/29/679361624/abused-wolves-and-troubled-teens-findsolace-in-each-other
Constructive Conversation Starters
The first item is for follow-up after viewing the lesson video and participating in class activities.
Describe the “shark” activity. What did the activity have to do with trust? Why is it necessary for people to be open to trusting others, even those people who we might not know (Kevin has to do this often)?
Trust can be different in different contexts. Describe the similarities and differences of trust in family relationships, friend relationships, romantic relationships, relationships between youth and adults, and relationships in society at large. Why is it important for people to act ethically even if they will not receive a direct benefit from acting in an ethical manner in a particular situation? [For example, a store clerk could easily give Kevin a smaller sized drink than he paid for and keep some of Kevin’s money without Kevin knowing.]
If trust is lost within a relationship, how is trust repaired? Why is it important to repair trust any time it has been compromised in a relationship? Why is it important to also be willing to allow someone to rebuild trust with you?
School to Home Resources on Trusting Others
Lesson Plan
Interactive Reflection > Open/Download Complete PDF Lesson
Deciding to trust people
Kevin says, “The biggest fear is when you go to a strange new place is where to go, can I trust anybody in here?”. We see Kevin going into a convenience store and how he must rely on others sometimes to do simple tasks that sighted people take for granted. What concerns do you think Kevin might have in unfamiliar places that people with their sight would not? Describe how you think Kevin adapts to situations like this
Important to help others
We see Kevin showing a new student how to navigate outside. Why do you think Kevin would say that it is important to help other students? Why is it important in any school for students who have been at the school longer to help other students learn skills that will help them? Describe a time you helped someone who is younger than you learn something? Why is it important to help someone who is in a new environment?
Trust has to be earned
Kevin says, “you have nice people, you have mean people. You really have to just trust your instincts I’ve learned how to put more trust in people, but sometimes I have to check things out myself”. What are some things that could have happened to Kevin that might make him less trusting of people he does not know well? Do you think Kevin is correct to believe that he might be taken advantage of more often than someone who is sighted? Why or why not? Does Kevin have some advantages in dealing with others that people with sight may not have? Why or why not?
Motivation to keep working hard
Kevin also says, “I’m going to prove to this old world that I am somebody, I really don’t think about it as a disability…you think about it as a motivation”. Why do you think Kevin’s blindness motivates him? What things motivate you to learn? Why is it a good thing to accomplish something that you find difficult?
Additional Reflection Questions > Open/Download Complete PDF Lesson
