Math
A student tries a math problem three times but gets the answer wrong.
They look frustrated and say:
“I’m just bad at math.”
Praise persistence and reframe ability as learned, not fixed.
“I saw how you kept trying different ways — that shows persistence. Let’s look at what part is confusing and solve the next step together.”
A student revises their writing and says:
“It took forever, but I fixed it.”
Celebrate revision and effort — not speed.
“Your revision shows real commitment. You took time to improve your work — that’s what strong writers do.”
A student shares a drawing and a classmate says:
“Wow, you're the best artist!”
Shift from best to process and practice.
“I can tell you’ve practiced your drawing skills a lot — your details and shading really show patience and focus.”
A student finishes an addition worksheet very quickly and says:
“That was easy. I didn’t even have to try.”
Praise effort and encourage challenge.
"Great job working through these problems! How about you start working on multiplication!"
A student doesn’t want to try reading aloud and says:
“Everyone else is better than me.”
Build confidence and normalize being at different points in learning.
“Everyone learns skills at different speeds. I’m proud of you for being willing to practice — that’s how we get stronger. We’ll take it one step at a time together.”
A student says:
“Can you just tell me the answer?”
Avoid doing the work for them; praise willingness to ask, then encourage strategy use.
“I like that you asked for help — that shows you want to learn. I’ll help you start, and then you try the next part on your own.”