The appreciation that all students would have liked to read on their school report cards

Who hasn’t already dreaded receiving their school report? For many students, this is a source of stress and worry. The fear of discovering your average in different subjects, but also and above all of reading the teachers’ assessments. Schoolchildren fear not only criticism of their work or their attitude in class, but also the reaction of their parents when reading these comments. “Insufficient work”, “Too talkative, but has abilities”, “Too much of an airhead”, “Dissipated student”… These remarks, far from being positive, are familiar to many, and some still remember them very well today.

When writing this, most teachers do not always realize the impact that such words can have on young people. This was the case for Émilie Hanrot, a kindergarten teacher for around twenty years, who made herself known on social networks with her account @kifferlecole. She addresses this subject in her book Enjoy school (La Maison Hachette Pratique edition), released during the summer. For her, “A person’s worth is not measured by their grades or the comments on their report card.” And yet, the first time she had to fill out school report cards, for students in first grade, she almost made the “clumsiness” that many teachers do: starting with a criticism.

However, teachers have every interest in starting with a positive remark. Especially for students who have difficulties. Because as the teacher points out: “devaluing a student in writing can destroy an ego, enrage parents, demoralize the best-willed. Discourage the weakest.” With this in mind, Émilie Hanrot therefore wrote for one of her students, who had several shortcomings and who regularly became discouraged, the following comment: “Céline is a ray of sunshine for the house. Continue your efforts, your smile lights up our CP.”

“The following week, I gave the newsletter to her dad who had tears in his eyes. ‘This is the first time I’ve read something positive about Céline, you have no idea how much good it does.'” , remembers the professor in her work. And a few years later, this former student even sent him a thank you message on Instagram saying: “My best memory as a teacher is with you. (…) This sentence allowed me to always maintain confidence in myself.” So words can have real power!