In June this year, Wellesley High School became a focus of attention worldwide, following a graduation speech made by a teacher at the school. Departing from the traditional rhetoric of such ceremonies, English teacher David McCullough told the assembled graduates that they were neither special nor exceptional, but may well believe they were…

Examines praise as one of the ways children learn how to play an appropriate role in the school environment. Presents an analysis of praise during group discussion in four child-care centers. Suggests that in all four centers, children were being schooled in passivity rather than being encouraged to be active problem solvers and knowledge seekers.…