Whoever said there's no such thing as a stupid question never looked carefully at a standardized test.

Punishments and rewards are two sides of the same coin and that coin doesn't buy you much.

Independence is useful, but caring attitudes and behaviors shrivel up in a culture where each person is responsible only for himself.

Each time I visit such a classroom, where the teacher is more interested in creating a democratic community than in maintaining her position of authority, I’m convinced all over again that moving away from consequences and rewards isn’t just realistic - it’s the best way to help kids grow into good learners and good people.

What is wrong with encouraging students to put "how well they're doing" ahead of "what they're doing." An impressive and growing body of research suggests that this emphasis (1) undermines students' interest in learning, (2) makes failure seem overwhelming, (3) leads students to avoid challenging themselves, (4) reduces the quality of learning, and (5) invites students to think about how smart they are instead of how hard they tried.

Whoever said there's no such thing as a stupid question never looked carefully at a standardized test.

If faculty would relax their emphasis on grades, this might serve not to lower standards but to encourage an orientation toward learning.