Quote:
Originally Posted by KellyC
I've always thought the idea of adults constantly praising kids is stupid. Even worse is when they do it to each other. I remember a time in 8th grade gym class, we were playing baseball. A girl was up on bat, every time she swings and miss the girls on the side would say "good try, good try" and applaud her. In my head, I thought, "that was shit--it wasn't anywhere close to being good." I bumped into a few of them last year. Needless to say, they're not faring very well.
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I would also like to point out that the opposite of what you suggest is pretty nasty as well.
Imagine, if you will, a scenario where that girl is derided for her lack of skill. "You suck!" "Why couldn't you hit that? My four-year-old sister can swing better than you."
Being forced into gym class when you are clearly not talented at sports is one of the top moments for public humiliation. A little encouragement or a "good try" never hurt anyone.
I make a distinction between gym class (forced attendance) and little league (chosen attendance -- usually chosen by parents). I stand by my earlier point that parents shouldn't make their kids join little league if they are not interested in sports. They should find other avenues of interest to pursue.
And I generally agree with Kutulu... I don't think things are ever as bad as they appear in these sorts of discussions... and these sorts of discussions have been happening forever.