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I Want Your Opinion

My nephew is 14, and he is away at a residential program where he also attends school. Similar to a military academy, but not military.

In his last letter, he mentioned that in this program there is no positive attention or reward for good behavior, because good behavior is the accepted norm. Rather the only attention the boys receive is negative, when they make a mistake. For example, he just elected to run a 10 mile challenge and completed it, with a good time. At the finish line he was given his time, but no other input. He knew he was successful because he received no attention that morning!😵

Well I certainly love the idea of a land where good is the only accepted norm! I can't wait to visit! Geez.

I have spent my life working with children, and now dogs. I am constantly using positive reinforcement, and I'm programmed to ignore as much negative behavior as I can,
in the interest of not rewarding it.
This new concept is blowing my mind.

The nephew is doing great, his attitude is upbeat. What do you think of only acknowledging the negative? Does that even work?

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acpguy · C

Yes and very well as I can attest to that. I went to a very rigid private school that required an entrance exam tougher than colleges gave at the time and the average IQ for all the students was 132. They had a policy if your grades slipped below an A (3.5 GPA) then you would not be asked back the following semester. Their PE class which was every other day for all four years was like military training for that time and you were expected to be on one type of sports team for the school. We were typically #1 in the state for football, basketball, baseball and swimming. If we were #2 then we would consider it not winning as it should be.

Today the candy ass liberal schools give awards for failure which only encourages kids turning out to be snowflakes like we see a lot of today along with children that are grossly overweight due to poor or non-existent phys ed in schools today.

b22065 · 46-50, M

@acpguy Could not have said it better.

acpguy · C

@b22065 Thanks

EmilyEdith · 56-60, F

@acpguy I totally agree. He has no game system, no internet, no hair😁. A uniform,only the books we send him to read, only gets mail from his Mom and myself. They denied him the ability to go to classes with the rest of the kids for his first six weeks until he proved he could manage himself . At that point, he was dying to go to school for the first time in his life! He just finished the first half of 8th grade in less than 3 months. He gets up every morning and apparently runs 3 miles before breakfast. He is reporting he has never been happier! I can't believe it. Maybe this is the right track

Wol62 · 51-55, M

@EmilyEdith Wow, sure sounds like it huh?