Compliments and Reprimands

Hello everyone,

I've been thinking about compliments and reprimands.

There is an old dictum that says that you should compliment publicly and reprimand privately. The idea is that a public compliment reinforces positive behavior and a private reprimand prevents excessive shame. I think that the idea is generally sound, but there are exceptions that I've discovered.

A problem that we sometimes face is that a public reprimand is sometimes appropriate, and private compliments are sometimes powerful.

Public reprimands of students need to be handled with a certain amount of discretion. Of course, in the heat of battle with an intransigent student, discretion may fall by the wayside, but if you plan before the fact, you can maintain your composure and use discretion.

Public reprimands should be brief and professional. "Juan, please don't talk while I'm talking." "Ana, please take your seat." "The following people have not handed in the homework..." In each of these cases, the "reprimand" is no more than calling attention to undesirable behavior. There are no public accusations and counter-accusations; there is no shouting; there is no intentional humiliation.

In cases where the behavior is more egregious, it may be necessary to give a more specific reprimand or pointed criticism. If the behavior from class is what has provoked this, a public announcement: "Jose, see me after class" is usually sufficient to let everyone know that you don't approve of the behavior, and still allow you to have a specific, pointed discussion that may include a more detailed reprimand. This prevents all sorts of difficulties: You don't get into an argument about the behavior; the occasional student who is validated by bad behavior is not allowed the validation; the honest mistake (on your part or the student's) can be corrected without public humiliation; and so forth.

By the way, if the student tries to draw you into a discussion in front of everyone by asking something like, "Why do I have to stay after?" or "What did I do wrong?" say simply, "I'll discuss it with you later," then discuss it. If the student refuses to stay, you might need to make a public reprimand: "Eva did not stay after class when I asked her, so I've assigned her detention." Also, be willing to give a pass to the next period; don't make a forced tardy any part of the punishment; it's not fair.

Now, with compliments, a problem that I've noticed is that students often view public compliments as insincere, especially if they're too effusive. To pile compliment on compliment on a single student can be very embarrassing for that student and may be counter-productive. Public compliments, as public reprimands, should be brief and professional. "Good work, Juan." "That was the highest score in the class, Eva." (I know one veteran teacher who tosses tennis balls to students who give particularly good answers in class discussion; the tennis balls are collected at the end of class and count for points; students enjoy it.)

Also, I have found that there is a great deal of power in a private, detailed compliment. Sometimes you can lean close to a student when you hand the work back and say, "This was a really fine piece of work. I liked the way you ..." Or you can keep the student after class. This tells the student that you are not trying to manipulate the class with compliments (a teacher trick that many of them have caught onto) and that your admiration is sincere. It also prevents embarrassment for the student that comes from the crowd that hates "school boys and girls."

Never be excessive in compliments or reprimands. Be direct and straight to the point; be honest; make both count.

Jeff Combe