The best way to teach - whether as an educator, employer, or parent - is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones.
...ed. Too much praise can have the exact opposite effect to what is desired. The student or employee becomes addicted to praise. There is no motivation for him any longer because the teacher or employer assures him that he's the best. He also becomes unable to take criticism. The slightest failure devastates him. He forgets that failure is the foundation of success, that one can improve only by learning from one's mistakes. Yes, fulsome praise too many times will make the student lose touch with reality. It will ruin his self-esteem and confidence when he is finally exposed to the rough-and-tumble of the real world. Take the example of a child who is learning to draw. If his parents approve heartily of all his efforts, why will the child bother to improve further? The impression he gets is that the results he produces are fine. When, finally he learns, maybe from his peers, that his skills are just not good enough, he will be heartbroken, confused whether what his parents have been telling him all along is really true. It will ruin his confidence in himself, in other matters too. On the other hand, ignoring negative actions and mistakes is counterproductive too. The student (or employee) will have no judgment between good and evil, bet...