tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860217430618798778.post9021153358402408974..comments2023-10-14T07:22:15.520-07:00Comments on Petal by Petal: in a flashAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02581539654647664405noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860217430618798778.post-65203159963645453772013-11-07T22:01:05.931-08:002013-11-07T22:01:05.931-08:00Thank you, Aya! I love wide-leg pants - I like how...Thank you, Aya! I love wide-leg pants - I like how they fall straight from the hip and how they swish when I walk. They may be stump-ifying for short people, but that doesn't really bother me ... <br /><br />You bring up a good point about education. There are experts who rant against any kind of reward, as they feel it saps intrinsic motivation. I do see their point, as I have certain basic expectations of every student and would not consider rewarding them for fulfilling those expectations. At the same time, I've noticed that the kids who are really struggling do require some recognition of incremental progress. It is important to recognize growth and effort, even if the kid doesn't quite hit the goal.<br />I do find dealing with unmotivated kids frustrating at times! But at the same time I keep in mind that wildly creative, successful folks like Matt Groening had the very same experience. It's instructive to read his "School is Hell" comics, as he deftly skewers the rigidity and tedium of our educational system.Carriehttp://petalbypetal11.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8860217430618798778.post-38524061994057108722013-11-05T10:43:57.597-08:002013-11-05T10:43:57.597-08:00Welcome back, Carrie! Yay, I love wide leg pants. ...Welcome back, Carrie! Yay, I love wide leg pants. I can't believe I didn't discover them back when I was a competing athlete; it would have saved a lot of swearing in the dressing room.<br /><br /><br />I always love your stories of teaching. I often wonder about scholastic performance and how much it's due to natural patience and the ability to extend gratification almost indefinitely (12-20 years before job payoff) and how much can be learned through the right positive reinforcement and short term rewards along the way. (I was, for the record, a completely unmotivated student and the despair of all of my teachers.)Aya in Couturgatorynoreply@blogger.com