The Problem with “Great Job”

“Great job.”

Most teachers say it dozens of times every day.

We say it because we want to encourage students.

We say it because we want our classrooms to feel positive.

We say it because we genuinely care.

The problem is that “Great job” often tells students almost nothing.

What exactly was great?

What should they continue doing?

What behavior led to the success?

If students don’t know the answers to those questions, the praise may feel good, but it won’t necessarily help them grow.

That’s where specific praise becomes so powerful.

Why Praise Matters

Students are constantly receiving feedback.

Every rehearsal, lesson, assignment, and interaction provides information that helps them determine whether they are succeeding, improving, and contributing.

As teachers, we have tremendous influence over that process.

The words we choose can help students become more confident, more motivated, and more self-aware.

But praise only works when it provides useful information.

The purpose of praise is not simply to make students feel good.

The purpose of praise is to help students recognize successful behaviors so they can repeat them.

When students understand what is working, they are far more likely to continue doing it.

In many ways, the behaviors we choose to recognize are a reflection of our program’s mission. If you are not sure what behaviors your choir should value, start by creating a clear mission statement for your program. Every successful decision, including how we praise students, becomes easier when we know what we are trying to accomplish.

What Is Specific Praise?

Specific praise identifies a behavior, action, attitude, or choice that contributed to success.

Instead of offering a generic compliment, specific praise tells students exactly what they did well.

Consider the difference:

Generic Praise

“Great job!”

Specific Praise

“I noticed that you stayed focused through that entire rehearsal, even when the music became challenging.”

Or:

Generic Praise

“Amazing!”

Specific Praise

“I noticed that you fixed that rhythm independently before I had to point it out.”

The first statement feels positive.

The second statement teaches.

Specific praise gives students clarity. It helps them understand exactly what contributed to their success.

When students gain clarity, they gain control over their own growth.

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The Problem with Generic Praise

Most teachers have heard or used statements like:

• “You’re awesome.”
• “You’re terrific.”
• “Amazing!”
• “Great job!”

While these comments sound encouraging, they often fail to provide meaningful feedback.

The student may feel good for a moment, but they are left wondering:

• What exactly was amazing?
• What did I do right?
• What should I continue doing?
• How can I repeat that success?

Without answers to those questions, growth becomes more difficult.

The student receives encouragement but not direction.

Even worse, generic praise can lose credibility when it is applied too broadly.

Students are often more perceptive than we give them credit for.

When they receive the same praise regardless of the quality of their effort or performance, the praise eventually loses its meaning.

It becomes background noise.

Effective praise helps students grow because it points them toward specific actions they can repeat.

Generic praise rarely accomplishes that goal.

Productive Positivity Requires Attention

There is another reason generic praise is problematic:

It requires very little observation.

When we tell a student, “You’re awesome” or “Great job,” we have not necessarily identified what the student actually did well.

Specific praise requires something more from us.

It requires attention.

We have to notice effort.

We have to notice focus.

We have to notice persistence, leadership, preparation, kindness, improvement, and attention to detail.

In other words, productive positivity requires us to be fully present.

Generic praise is often a shortcut. It allows us to sound encouraging without taking the time to identify what deserves recognition.

The irony is that specific praise benefits teachers just as much as students.

When we challenge ourselves to identify exactly what a student did well, we become more aware of the growth happening in our classrooms.

We begin looking for evidence of progress instead of simply reacting to mistakes.

That shift changes the way we teach.

Students deserve more than praise.

They deserve feedback.

And feedback begins with paying attention.

This idea extends beyond praise. The more aware we are of what students are doing, the more opportunities we have to reinforce positive behaviors. Ironically, many teachers struggle to notice these moments because they are carrying too much responsibility themselves. Student ownership frees us to become more observant and intentional leaders.

Examples of Specific Praise in the Classroom

One of the easiest ways to improve your use of specific praise is to focus on observable behaviors.

Here are examples that can work in virtually any classroom:

• “I appreciate how quickly you got started today.”
• “You asked a thoughtful question that helped the entire class.”
• “I noticed you kept working even when the assignment became difficult.”
• “You showed great attention to detail on that project.”
• “You helped your classmate without being asked.”
• “I can tell you spent time preparing for today’s lesson.”
• “You took responsibility for your mistake and fixed it.”

Notice that every statement identifies a specific behavior.

The student learns exactly what contributed to the success.

That makes it much more likely that the behavior will occur again.

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How Specific Praise Builds Student Ownership

One of the biggest goals in education is helping students take ownership of their learning.

Ownership occurs when students stop relying on external rewards and begin understanding the connection between their actions and their results.

Specific praise helps create that connection.

When students hear:

“You worked hard.”

they feel encouraged.

When students hear:

“You consistently reviewed your mistakes, asked questions, and practiced the difficult sections until you understood them.”

they learn what success actually looks like.

Over time, students begin identifying successful behaviors for themselves.

Instead of asking:

“Am I good at this?”

they begin asking:

“What can I do to improve?”

That shift is enormous.

Students become more self-aware.

More resilient.

More motivated.

And ultimately, more independent.

This is one of the hallmarks of a growth-minded classroom. Students stop viewing success as something they either have or do not have. Instead, they begin seeing success as the result of choices, habits, and skills that can be developed over time.

Confidence Comes From Growth

Many educators assume confidence comes first.

In reality, confidence is often the result of repeated success.

Students become confident when they understand how to succeed.

Specific praise helps students identify the behaviors that create success.

As those behaviors are repeated, students improve.

As they improve, confidence grows naturally.

This is one reason generic praise often falls short.

Generic praise attempts to create confidence directly.

Specific praise helps students create confidence through growth.

One is temporary.

The other is lasting.

This is one reason I believe confidence should not be the primary goal. Growth should be the goal. Confidence is simply one of the many benefits that emerge when students consistently experience growth.

The Goal Isn’t Praise

This may sound surprising, but the ultimate goal is not praise.

The goal is growth.

Praise is simply a tool.

When used effectively, it helps students recognize successful behaviors and develop greater awareness.

When students become aware of what is working, they make better choices.

When they make better choices consistently, they improve.

When they improve, confidence follows naturally.

Specific praise creates awareness.

Awareness leads to growth.

Growth leads to confidence.

Final Thoughts

The next time you praise a student, challenge yourself to go one step further.

Instead of saying:

“Great job.”

Ask yourself:

What exactly did this student do well?

Then tell them.

Identify the behavior.

Highlight the effort.

Recognize the choice.

Point out the action that contributed to success.

The more specific your praise becomes, the more useful it becomes.

And the more useful it becomes, the more your students will grow.

Want to Build More Student Buy-In?

Most choir directors do not struggle because they lack passion.

They struggle because they were never taught systems for creating buy-in, ownership, intrinsic motivation, and student leadership.

Inside the Choral Clarity Collective, you’ll learn how to build a mission-driven choral program where students take ownership of their learning, support one another, and contribute to a positive rehearsal culture.

You’ll gain access to training on:

• Classroom management
• Student leadership
• Music literacy
• Vocal technique
• Matching pitch
• Assessment and grading
• Growth mindset
• Work-life balance

Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran educator, the Collective provides a step-by-step roadmap for building a calmer, more focused, and more successful choir program.

Calm your choir. Build buy-in. Leave on time.

You can get started for free today.

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