I think that every kid “getting a trophy” is a little different than how it is described in the podcast. A participation award is something that I have never really had a problem with. If you show up and put the time in you deserve to be recognized for that regardless of talent. Not everyone is going to achieve at the same level in sports or academics so recognizing the simple effort it takes to get up and go each day has never rubbed me the wrong way.
Recognizing growth for everyone is a different approach. It takes much more time and attention by the adults present each day. Looking for areas of growth for students who can make it difficult to find them takes patience. I like the idea of having this viewpoint because it does reinforce the unconditional positive regards mindset. You will never see growth or recognize it if you aren’t caring about your students. There is definitely more room in our educational system to look at the “Everyone gets a trophy” topic in this way. If our goal is to try to increase the intrinsic motivations of our kids and have them come to school each day with a more positive mindset about being here, maybe looking for and recognizing their growth more often can help?
Recognizing growth for everyone is a different approach. It takes much more time and attention by the adults present each day. Looking for areas of growth for students who can make it difficult to find them takes patience. I like the idea of having this viewpoint because it does reinforce the unconditional positive regards mindset. You will never see growth or recognize it if you aren’t caring about your students. There is definitely more room in our educational system to look at the “Everyone gets a trophy” topic in this way. If our goal is to try to increase the intrinsic motivations of our kids and have them come to school each day with a more positive mindset about being here, maybe looking for and recognizing their growth more often can help?