Good teachers leave teaching not because pay is low but because of poor working conditions and too little recognition. Since students can be strongly affected by teachers, teachers who feel negatively about themselves can adversely affect students. A five-evening workshop was developed in Dade County, Florida to boost teachers' self-esteem and to have the praticipants experience trust, prizing, realness, understanding, and freedom so that they could replicate this environment for their students. Group exercises included an introduction to group rules, non-verbal communication, introducing your partner, giving yourself a positive adjective, balloon experience, value auction, choosing three values, admiration ladder, and identifying negative/positive communication. Teachers implemented the self-esteem boosting exercises in the classroom with reported success. Teachers reported that students enjoyed a more relaxed atmosphere and teachers themselves reported greater sensitivity to students' differences. Teachers' scores on a before-and-after self-esteem questionnaire improved following the workshop sessions. (ABL)