Praise

Go read this article from New York Magazine about praise and children.

I can relate to this in many, many different ways - but more than that, I think the findings can (and should) be applied to children (and teens..and adults) in ballet school as well as normal school. If you don't have time, just get through the first 2 pages. But read it.

Some quotes that stuck out to me:

“Randomly divided into groups, some [kids] were praised for their intelligence. They were told, ‘You must be smart at this.’ Other students were praised for their effort: ‘You must have worked really hard.’ Emphasizing effort gives a child a variable that they can control,” she explains. “They come to see themselves as in control of their success.”

“Since the 1969 publication of The Psychology of Self-Esteem, in which Nathaniel Branden opined that self-esteem was the single most important facet of a person, the belief that one must do whatever he can to achieve positive self-esteem has become a movement with broad societal effects. Anything potentially damaging to kids’ self-esteem was axed.”

“Sincerity of praise is also crucial. Just as we can sniff out the true meaning of a backhanded compliment or a disingenuous apology, children, too, scrutinize praise for hidden agendas.”
“Teens, Meyer found, discounted praise to such an extent that they believed it’s a teacher’s criticism—not praise at all—that really conveys a positive belief in a student’s aptitude.”

“But it turns out that the ability to repeatedly respond to failure by exerting more effort—instead of simply giving up—is a trait well studied in psychology. People with this trait, persistence, rebound well and can sustain their motivation through long periods of delayed gratification.”
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There's a whole lot more to the article, but basically it's saying that in school it's been proven to be better if children are praised for their effort rather than their intelligence.

What would happen if we did that in ballet school? Praise a student for effort rather than physical talent?