Don’t Stop to Saying “Good Job”

by Lulu Wang

What if your students did something impressive or make a progress on their learning process, what will you say? There have people argue that teachers and parents should stop saying good job to children, which I don’t agree with.

As teachers we need to say good job when there is evidence of progress or a job well done. For instance, when I was school aged and saw some money on the street, I would pick it up and give it to my parents or teachers. They will say good job because we are taught to find the owners of missing items. According to Piaget, children will understand this world through what they already know and what they learn from the environment. This tell us, we need tell children when they do something good so they can remember it, internalize it, and know the value of the act they did right.

Saying “good job” to kids is very important when they lack of confidence. Think about if a kid is struggling with the math subject, he or she will try really hard to figure it out, but still they are having trouble getting it. They might be upset and think they are not capable of improving. Then they might lose confidence and feel defeated in math class. This I the time we need to say good job and affirm their hard work and make them feel they still capable of moving forward. For example, I was that kid who was super bad at math; I had no confidence. However, I wanted to make progress and improve. But there was no evidence of my efforts because my score remained very low. My parents noticed I was working hard and they would say that I was doing a good job. They told me they were satisfied that I was giving it my all. Instead of pushing me down, they told me “good job.”

Saying “good job” to children when they engage in their hard work. What will you do when your own child working hard at school, behave well at home, and be interest in what they are doing. This is the time that we need say “good job” to them. Vygotsky addressed with the guidance and encouragement children can achieve more. For example, when I was a child I was helping my family work on the farm during holiday. It was hard and physically painful for a child of my age. But my parents will tell me that I did a good job, I feel like good because I knew they really appreciated it I felt accomplished, I felt like the work I contributed mattered. It also taught me that making money and growing our own food did not come easy. These experiences really help me realize the value of praise when it comes to a working hard to achieve goals.

People might think when we say “good job” to a child, that this might cause the children to become over confident in the task they complete, lost interest really fast, and avoid challenges because of fear of failure. The most important thing is that children will do their best, when they are encouraged. Since children have lack of understanding, when you say “good job” to them, it affirms them, and lets them know they are on the right track. Also, you say ‘good job” to kids, it can enhance their confidence and increase their engagement.

In the future, when I become a teacher, I know I will have to be conscious of the praise I give to my students. Just giving praise to make a student feel better could be the wrong the wrong choice. Most importantly, I realize it is best to honor hard work and progress.