Scathed

It isn't really a badge of honour or of glory to have had an unscathed childhood. Childhood is a time for building the foundations for learning and growth; if you don't learn the basics at that time, it is not impossible to build - but it is very much more difficult.

This excellent article explores some ramifications of the kind of praise we give the people we remark upon. It helps to explain why I prefer to say, "X has shown himself to be intelligent and determined," rather than, "X is intelligent and has done well." The former is descriptive of what X has done and can continue to do; the latter is more descriptive of what X is, immutably and for a moment in time. It is a subtle distinction, but a valuable one.

So if my students feel that the term reports look unduly harsh or scathing, I hope they take it in the right spirit. I'm not here to give undeserved laurels; I'm here to try to see how they can be even better than they already are. After all, I am scathing to many people, who hopefully all deserve it - and I am not unscathed myself, nor want to be.