Chapter 4 "Creating a Culture of Success"

The part in the chapter that really stuck out to me was when it mentioned that most students are sensitive to not only being criticized in front of others, but also receiving praise from the teacher in front of their peers. When a student receives praise from the teacher that sends a message to the other students that they didn't work as hard or do as good of a job as this particular student. That can be a ton of pressure place onto a student, and if teacher are not careful students may sometimes stray away from performing well to avoid praise.
I know that this concept seems rather odd because who doesn't love being told that they have done a great job and their work has defiantly paid off, but when people are worried about fitting in they don't want to make others resent them because they understand the material and their friends don't grasp it. I think that there is a time and a place where teachers can still offer individual praise, such as pulling a student aside after class or leaving positive notes on a students paper letting them know they are doing a good job. Criticism, I think, should also be handled in the same manner. If there is something that a student is not understanding it makes no sense to put them on the spot in front of all of his or her peers. Students tend to shut down when a teacher addresses their weaknesses in front of others.