Wednesday, November 16, 2011

positive never negative

Just a quick one I wanted to get out there.

I dont know if its a Toronto thing or just new age styles but I've noticed that kids are no longer allowed to be criticized. I kind of knew this before but its was reinforced when I got my son's report card yesterday. I mean I'm not saying he's a little devil or anything even close but reading the gobblydegook on his report page it would appear he had nothing to improve on and was if not perfect probably mere percentage points off.....which lemma tell ya he is so not!

Even last year in the parent teachers meetings I got the impression that the teachers werent allowed to say anything about your kid that was negative. Believe me I aint going to get upset with you if you tell me the chile duz talk tummuch in class or playing the tail every once in a while.

Complete opposite to where and when I grew up. If ya was behaving bad, they let you know and you got punished. We used negative reinforcement. Dont do that crap again or liks in ya tail or no tv or write lines and of course mothers were famous for the ever useful "dont let me got to tell your father" line which was the ultimate defense and almost sure to get even the most hardears child to rethink what he was doing.

But back to the teachers and the daycares and the like in Toronto. It would be nice if you clued us in on where our kids were failing so we could know (although most of us do have at least an inkling bout some of it) rather than the new age speak that just makes our kids sound like perfect angels.

1 comment:

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

I used to get this remark on my report card, 'can do better, talks to much."

I still talking too much, haha.

Some years ago, I read in a magazine that all this 'positive reinforcement' is not too good for a child, s/he he doesn't develop standards.