Feedback Thoughts

For this assignment we were asked to read some articles about feedback and then write down our thoughts. I chose to read one article from each of the recommended sections. The results are as follows:

To err is human – and a powerful prelude to learning

Americans like to refer to the people who lived through and served in WW2 as the greatest generation. This may be because they struggled, learned from what was happening and then conquered. According to this article, this is the strategy we should be teaching our children in school. As both a higher education student and a parent, I tend to agree with this assessment. We have raised a generation of children who don't know how to struggle, and need safe spaces when things don't go their way. Parents go to schools and complain about teachers who give bad grades. No one is holding the children responsible for learning from failures. This stops our brains from experiencing memory reconsolidation, where we mentally correct ourselves after learning we had previously done something wrong. In order to excel again, we must not just teach children how to get the right answer. We must also show how the wrong answer was acquired, and then what steps should have been taken instead. I do this with myself when I cook, and when I parent. So I look forward to having other help me with my writing in this was as well. 

How to Mentor a Perfectionist

I have perfectionist tendencies. I'm pretty sure I get them from my mother. She is a wonderful person, but she has OCD to the point where no one can put dishes away for fear she will lose her mind if something is not in the exact spot she thinks it goes. I can remember in high school, doing something that displeased her, and having her not talk to me for a week and a half. This has caused me to exist in a mental state where I worry about not living up to people's expectations and failing. 

I chose this article, because mentoring is like parenting. I don't want to parent the way I was raised and set my children up for the same insecurities I have. I plan to follow the recommendations in this article and focus on affirmation and encouragement, rather than punishment with my children. I will admit my own faults and hold myself as accountable as I hold them. Hopefully by doing this, they will strive for their own goals and not someone else's. 

Why Rejection Hurts so Much - and What to Do about It

I think this article goes along with the idea of me having a perfectionist personality. If I am imperfect, I will fail and people will reject me. The tips on what to do about it are helpful. 

• Have zero tolerance for self criticism - explains the difference between striving to improve yourself and thinking you're a failure. 
• Revive your self worth - know your strengths and what you have to offer
• Boost feelings of connection - maintain your healthy relationships and then you can create new ones down the road

I am honestly not sure what any of this has to do with mythology. It's interesting, but only because I enjoy psychology and learning new things. I'm a little bit bummed that we are spending so much time focusing on something not directly related to folklore and mythology. I think I would have preferred to do extra readings or units.