Skip to content

It’s easy to criticize what people do. It’s often what people don’t do that matters more, yet these inactions are often ignored. So leave me alone, you inactive, moronic toadstools.

By Matthew Dicks | February 18, 2015 | Comments Off on It’s easy to criticize what people do. It’s often what people don’t do that matters more, yet these inactions are often ignored. So leave me alone, you inactive, moronic toadstools.

I was recently sitting at my desk in my classroom, drinking a Diet Coke while correcting papers. A colleague walked in, and as we wrapped up our conversation, she commented on the soda that I was drinking. “You know, Diet Coke really isn’t good for you. You drink way too much. You should think about…

Read More

The fallacy of private criticism and the mistake teachers often make when assigning consequences

By Matthew Dicks | February 15, 2015 | Comments Off on The fallacy of private criticism and the mistake teachers often make when assigning consequences

There is a phrase that has become popular in teaching: Praise in public. Punish (or criticize) in private. I think this depends upon a lot of factors, and especially the climate and culture of the classroom. If a teacher is adept at bringing the class together as one big family, or a particular class has…

Read More