• Article By John Perricone

    Guest Viewpoint: Overinflation

    Too Much Self-esteem Can Lead To Rude Awakenings After 26 years in the classroom, I am convinced that one of the most misconstrued and abused movements in education spanning the last three decades has been the so-called “self-esteem” movement. The assumption fueling this cause was the belief that high self-esteem would be the great innoculator protecting us from many of…

  • Article By John Perricone

    No More Carrots

    Gold Stars, Grades, and Pizza Parties Sap the Love of Learning. “Hey guys, would you give me a hand moving these desks?”                 “Sure, Mr. Perricone. What’s in it for us?” “What do you mean?” I ask, somewhat dejected. “You know, maybe some extra credit?” I stare at them in disbelief. They sense my discomfort, and the issue is dropped as…