Letter from the Superintendent

For Parents and Teachers...

THIS is an interesting article on the effect of intelligence v. effort, and the kind of praise that benefits kids the most.

As parents and educators we often want to encourage kids by telling them how smart and capable they are.

"You can do it, you are smart. You are totally capable of this work. You are so intelligent. You just need to show us how smart you are. If you would just work to your ability, you would have much better grades. You are too smart to be earning these grades. You are smarter than this."

I could go on and on. Research suggests that this type of praise and encouragement does not have the desired effect. It will work for a certain period of time, but eventually, it can lead to laziness. Students who repeatedly hear how smart they are, may not believe they have to work very hard.

Instead, we should praise and encourage students based on their hard work and effort!

"Wow, you really worked hard on that project. I can tell you put a lot of effort into this. I appreciate all of your hard work. I am so proud of you for finishing that. That looks like a lot of work, good job for sticking to it. You are such a hard worker. I love that you put effort into everything you do."

The research shows that this type of praise has a lasting effect on student achievement. I hope you find this as interesting as I do! It is definitely something I am going to remember and incorporate into my conversations with students.