There is an interesting article in yesterday's Washington Times about the effects of too much praise on children.
In the past several decades, the effort to respect, protect and even puff up children's self-esteem has resulted in a generation of children who expect to win, whose feelings are never hurt and who believe they are the best.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is most commonly known as the Middle School Model, and it's ubiquitous in the public schools of this country. The idea is to find something good to say to each individual each day, even if it's something like, "That surely is a nice pair of eyebrow rings you've got, Maribeth!" in hopes of increasing students' self-esteem.
(There's nothing wrong with being civil (even pleasant, although I have yet to try it) to students, but it should not be mandated.)
I believe that self-esteem is raised through true accomplishment, don't you?
