Popular Posts
-
by Turtle Shell "Look at this, this brilliant kid Made a masterwork, our genius did." A perfect grade, brings pride galore. Y...
-
Hello Poets, This is just a quick hello and reminder about the upcoming poetry exhibition in April. By now, we each have a jpg of our ch...
-
My forebears, they were tall. So very tall were they all. Picking fruit in the Fall. Yet rarely playing basketball. by Turtle Shell --...
-
There have been a couple more Commuter articles about us lately. Last week they published a piece called You Could Be Next Year's Poet L...
-
Oh my lord, I am sorry I haven't posted in a while! I'm terrible, I know. But, I have wonderful, exciting news. February is Bkac...
-
In case you are unaware, there is now a poetry club at the Benton center! They meet every Thursday from 5:30-6:30 in the conference room, w...
-
Another review is written of the Poetry Club meeting: This one is from Kristen -- Quiet chatter amongst two men fill the gap that is nor...
-
Submission time is here! Every March from the 1st through the 20th, Write Bloody Publishing (founded by the miraculous beat poet Derrick C. ...
-
Here is a blanket statement for you all. If anything inspires you, whether it be nature, movies, books, or whatever, I implore you to se...
-
Hello all! At tonight's meeting at the Benton Center we were met with an interesting question: if you wrote a series of poems addresse...
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
by Turtle Shell
"Look at this, this brilliant kid
Made a masterwork, our genius did."
A perfect grade, brings pride galore.
You hunger now, you want some more.
An endless mission, bring home the A's
To hear you're smart, the greatest praise.
"But wait, what's this, did you get a B?
Sit down, let's talk, I want you to see
A B isn't terrible, this imperfect letter
I think we both know though, that you can do better."
So that's how it is, those words that now weighed
Only dullards could be content, with an imperfect grade.
Do or do not, there is no "try"
Become risk-averse, become failure-shy!
The easiest path, is the only one to take
Be careful, do it right, never risk a mistake!
A mistake's an indictment, a proof of stupidity
But you NEED to be smart, an ego's cupidity.
Studies have shown, that when praising a child
Praising mere talent, only leaves them beguiled.
Being proud of what they are, but not how they act
Encourages stagnation, is motivationally cracked.
"You're so smart" sounds nice, but it's such a dangerous phrase
One message to avoid, among the hundred ways to praise.
"Look at this, this brilliant kid
Made a masterwork, our genius did."
A perfect grade, brings pride galore.
You hunger now, you want some more.
An endless mission, bring home the A's
To hear you're smart, the greatest praise.
"But wait, what's this, did you get a B?
Sit down, let's talk, I want you to see
A B isn't terrible, this imperfect letter
I think we both know though, that you can do better."
So that's how it is, those words that now weighed
Only dullards could be content, with an imperfect grade.
Do or do not, there is no "try"
Become risk-averse, become failure-shy!
The easiest path, is the only one to take
Be careful, do it right, never risk a mistake!
A mistake's an indictment, a proof of stupidity
But you NEED to be smart, an ego's cupidity.
Studies have shown, that when praising a child
Praising mere talent, only leaves them beguiled.
Being proud of what they are, but not how they act
Encourages stagnation, is motivationally cracked.
"You're so smart" sounds nice, but it's such a dangerous phrase
One message to avoid, among the hundred ways to praise.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Needing to be brief and not wanting to over-complicate the message, I intentionally left out the other half of the study I mentioned. Don't compliment kids for their intelligence, DO compliment kids for working hard. Reward what's important, what they can intentionally do more of, not the things that they can't change. That's what praise is, a reward. It motivates. Try to be conscious of what behavior you're motivating.
For more on this topic, see:
http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/
or gooogle "don't tell kids they're smart"
*goooooooooooogle
Post a Comment