Do Northfield area educators still use cheesy self-esteem tactics on kids?

Doonesbury, April 13, 2012
I laughed at this Doonesbury cartoon last week, thinking that the self-esteem movement was long gone.

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But then on Saturday, I saw these posters at the Byron, MN Middle School, praising Melissa and Avery for their "outstanding participation" as musicians of the week. (Notice how I’ve redacted their last names from the photos of the posters.  I’d hate to have their self-esteem damaged by this blog post.)

Do any Northfield area educators still do this type of stuff?

Well, there is! The new digital education portfolio, a web-based education platform using gadgets that suits for kids where they can learn and have fun at the same time. Just visit https://www.classdojo.com/studentstories/ for more information.

3 Comments

  1. Kathie Galotti said:

    MOST Northfield public schools DARE to spend time and money boosting student self-esteem,
    with no evidence (or contrary) evidence of effectiveness, and using up instructional time to do so.

    April 16, 2012
  2. Barb Kuhlman said:

    Hey, Griff, what were you doing in my hometown? Seriously, I have a question for you. You may have noticed week after week articles in the Northfield News about various athletic achievements and awards (although I must admit, I seldom read them). What do you think is the difference between this simple recognition of some middle schooler’s achievement in music? I would guess you don’t really know what “outstanding participation” actually refers to. Maybe they did extremely well in a way that deserves recognition, just as high school athletes receive often. You really are a scrooge, aren’t you?

    April 22, 2012
  3. Patty Gallivan said:

    MOST Northfield volunteers are waiting for someone who DARES boost a program with evidence of effectiveness to come forward with leadership to actually make a difference with students in our Northfield schools. Make sure to let us know where and when to sign up.

    April 29, 2012

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