The Washington Post – Valerie Strauss
“But you know what Catherine said when I asked her what her secret was? Love. “I never stop believing in them,” she said. She pointed out that she never missed an opportunity to tell them that she loves them, and that whenever she can, she grabs a moment to praise a student even for something small. I realized as she said this that throughout her class she hands out “spirit love” tickets to acknowledge anything from great work to a perceptive in-class comment, to be redeemed for parties and adventures. She structures her classes so that they include a maximum of in-person, one-on-one conferences with each student every time they write a paper, during which she’ll focus on the positive and remind them that she believes in their ability to make the paper better.”(more)