No News is Good News

Lately I have been very frustrated.  I realized over spring break that a lot of this frustration stems from not feeling appreciated.  One quote that I grew up with was the idea that "No News is Good News."  If they are not telling you things you are doing wrong, than you must be doing things right.

I understand the purpose behind this quote, but is it really what is best for humans?  I asked my students today (3rd graders) how many of them ever felt unappreciated and I was saddened by how many raised their hands.

People want to know they are doing the right thing, they want to know people are noticing their actions.

I recently read about a study that found that 5:1 is the perfect ratio for positives to negatives when it comes to performance.  I read somewhere else that when you get to a 2:1 (it might have been 3:1, I can't remember exactly) is a state of clinical depression.

If I asked you to remember events from last week/last month/last year, what would you remember first?  The good memories or the bad ones?  Our brains are wired to remember the negative.  We remember when we felt embarrassed, hurt, sad or when things went badly.  This does not mean that bad things happen more than the good, it simply means that we are focusing more of our energy on these times.

The study on the ratio of positive to negative interactions really struck me as a teacher an a person.  Think about one of your classes.  Now, think about "that kid."  You know the one I mean.  The one who can't sit still, can't raise their hand before speaking out, the one who has to constantly be reminded of something.  Now, think about list from their perspective.  How many times a day is their behavior corrected (this is a negative interaction)?  How many times are they told something positive?

I see my students for 40 minutes two times a week and I can tell you right now I know there are students who hear way too many negatives from me compared to positives.  It makes me sad to even consider what the ratio may be.  It is not even close to 5 positives to ever negative.

We need to stop living in a world where no news is good news.  We need to share with our students and our communities about the positive things that are happening.  It is better for our students and it is the only way the community will hear about the great things going on in our schools.

Thank you for reading!