i was thinking along the same lines as sandy... because you've been called names and put down for most of your life, you actually start to believe these things are true. you really need to focus on your good qualities- remind yourself everyday that you're responsible and reliable, good-hearted, smart, faithful, dependable, loyal, determined, etc, etc. make a list. as silly as it may sound. you need to convince yourself that you ARE these things- and project that person- if you can project confidence based on these things, people wont even notice your faults. self-esteem can certainly be rebuilt, you just have to learn to be a little conceited about the things your good at. and taking a class is a GREAT idea.