Kohl and Kohn- Argument

              

‘Five Reasons to Stop Saying “Good Job!”’

 I believe that the author’s arguing it is important for both teachers and parents to understand that you do not need to evaluate your students or children in order to encourage them. The author supports this by explaining how constantly saying “Good Job” manipulates children in a silent way in taking advantage of children’s dependence. Continually saying ‘Good Job’ to your children or students can create praise junkies meaning the more you use praise, the more the child seems to need it, so we continually praise. This can result in child growing up and as an adult continually looking for praise. Praising your child or student all the time is also a silent way of stealing a child’s pleasure. When a child is constantly praised for everything they are doing, when they actually deserve praise and receive it they feel less pride when they deserve it. The more a child is praised the more they start to lose interest in whatever task they are performing. Consistent praise can start to become the only thing the child is motivated to receive. I strongly believe that this is a huge problem in not only classrooms, but in homes. After reading this article I couldn't stop but catch myself saying “Good Job” or seeing teachers and parents saying it all the time. It makes me just want to hand this article out to all the parents and teachers I know. The motivation is no longer completing the task, but completing the task and receiving some form of praise. I strongly believe that the author’s main point of this article is to have teachers and parents consider motives for what they say and the actual efforts of their motives. 

‘I Won’t Learn from You”

               I feel that the author’s argument is that learning what others want you to learn can sometimes destroy you.  In some cases teachers and other individual interoperate refusal to learn as failure to learn which the case is not always.  Sometimes learning from a stranger who doesn't respect your integrity can result in huge losses in self which can result in the student rejecting to learn and the world. A student refusing to learn isn’t a bad thing, but an unhealthy way to respond to racism, sexism, and other biases. If teachers and the community respected individual students and their culture through embracing personal change instead of rejecting student’s culture, fewer students would reject learning. This article reminded me of Peggy McIntosh, “White Privilege” in how by making children learn English is cultural-zing them and making them part of the white culture of power. To me this is a huge issue in our culture. I think it is really hard and will be difficult for classrooms to except and make the fact they have students who speak another language as a resource to other students learning. I strongly believe that the author’s main point is that this cultural personal problem has turned into a personal psychological problem.