Comments on: Destroying Self Esteem by Praising Kids http://www.thedeets.com/2007/11/08/destroying-self-esteem-by-praising-kids/ You want The Deets? You can't HANDLE The Deets. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:30:34 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Bixby http://www.thedeets.com/2007/11/08/destroying-self-esteem-by-praising-kids/comment-page-1/#comment-3347 Bixby Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:53:02 +0000 http://www.thedeets.com/2007/11/08/destroying-self-esteem-by-praising-kids/#comment-3347 Po Bronson is great. I actually spoke with him a few times about a project I ended up doing at Williams about what happens when smart people fail at things. He's a great writer/resource. Po Bronson is great. I actually spoke with him a few times about a project I ended up doing at Williams about what happens when smart people fail at things. He’s a great writer/resource.

]]> By: James http://www.thedeets.com/2007/11/08/destroying-self-esteem-by-praising-kids/comment-page-1/#comment-3344 James Thu, 08 Nov 2007 14:30:22 +0000 http://www.thedeets.com/2007/11/08/destroying-self-esteem-by-praising-kids/#comment-3344 This is a great post to see, though not new ideas. Anyone interested already knows about folks like Alfie Kohn who have for a long time spoken on the perils of praise (book: Punished by Rewards). Many also know that children have built-in lie detectors and can spot a phoney adult from 1.6 km away. The real work of teachers an parents (I am both) is to know the individual child and to understand what that child needs at different times. Unfortunately, in many home and school settings, there are too many imposed superficial distractions that take away from the personal connections that children, particularly adolescents, require for healthy development. Children almost always tell you what they need. But you have to be a good observer. That is, you have to become *their* best student. And as we all know, being a student is daily work. This is a great post to see, though not new ideas. Anyone interested already knows about folks like Alfie Kohn who have for a long time spoken on the perils of praise (book: Punished by Rewards). Many also know that children have built-in lie detectors and can spot a phoney adult from 1.6 km away.

The real work of teachers an parents (I am both) is to know the individual child and to understand what that child needs at different times. Unfortunately, in many home and school settings, there are too many imposed superficial distractions that take away from the personal connections that children, particularly adolescents, require for healthy development.

Children almost always tell you what they need. But you have to be a good observer. That is, you have to become *their* best student. And as we all know, being a student is daily work.

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