An embarrassed Kiran showed me his English test paper on which he had scored poorly. A quick glance revealed that the fifth grader from a reputed school in Bengaluru had to work on a number of aspects of grammar and spelling. What struck me most about his paper was that it was replete with negative remarks and cross marks. On several subtests, the child had scored full marks, but the teacher had not written a single ‘Good’ on his paper. A unidimensional focus on what a child has done wrong without acknowledging what he has got right can indeed be demotivating. Continue reading “Praiseworthy” →