I don’t disagree with much on this thread, but I do think that parents, teachers, and others telling a kid that he or she is very intelligent isn’t terribly productive and in the medium and long run hurts the kid.
Doing well in school is important, but there are other important things and swelling a child’s head about any of those things isn’t good.
I think that is only true if one then fails to point out that the world is full of very intelligent people and that what leads to success in life is using that intelligence to educate one's self and to make intelligent choices as well as working hard to accomplish worthwhile goals.
I've worked in some pretty rarified atmospheres where you could throw a rock in any direction and hit a super-intelligent person with a doctorate in a hard science or engineering. There was no room in that environment for ignorant slackers. "Be smart and work hard", is the lesson I would impart.
I see nothing inherently wrong with telling a little black boy that he is "smart". His pride in his intelligence and accomplishments at school can overcome the peer pressure to be mediocre. Depending upon his parents, this may or may not be something he hears at home, though his accomplishment to this point would seem to argue for wise parenting.
Doing well in school is important, but there are other important things and swelling a child’s head about any of those things isn’t good.
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Oh, you are so right.
I don’t think rewarding kids for a job well done is “swelling” their heads. Kids need to be encouraged in their efforts, and as long as it is not overdone there can’t be any harm in it.
Kids know which ones among them are smart, average and slow.