Is Labelling Your Child ‘Smart’ Really Doing Him/her Any Good?

by Samiksha S. Author

“Oh, she isn’t particularly bright” or maybe “he is a bit on the duller side”: All of you would agree that such negative labels are really bad for kids, and we should thus refrain from using them. But, what about calling them ‘smart’ or ‘gifted’? Are you sure calling your kids smart each time they do something right is really doing them any good? People naturally assume that there can be no harm done in the use of terms like that. But we, at DPS Sushant Lok, have a different point of view in this context.

At DPSSL, positioned among the Top Schools in Gurgaon, we have had the chance to take a closer look at the impact of such labels on the students, and it has made us come to a few definitive conclusions. The thing about using labels for kids, be it ‘smart’ or otherwise, is that they start believing in the tag a bit too much. Ms Veena Sangar, our esteemed principal, opines that when we begin labelling kids from a young age, they start thinking about themselves as nothing more or less than the label they are given. And, this can truly do them more harm than any good, even when the tag you’re using is something as nice as ‘smart.’

On that note, let’s delve deeper into the topic today and have a clearer understanding of how labeling children as smart or gifted isn’t a good thing.

The constant pressure of living up to the given label

We believe that the biggest problem with labels is that they create a constant pressure of living up to that reputation on those young shoulders. When labels like ‘smart’ become our only way of praising children, somewhere, it creates the wrong impression in their minds that they would only be loved or accepted if they are consistently proving their smartness. Carrying this fear of losing admiration keeps them away from the important lessons taught by failures.

Issues of self-esteem arising from the slightest faults

Even the smartest people make mistakes, right? But, it’s hard explaining that to a five-year-old who has always heard that label and is now finding it difficult to learn a particular poem. Research suggests that self-esteem issues creep up more readily in children who have been labelled smart all through their life. Even faltering a little from that pedestal makes them start questioning their abilities.

Setting limits on the ability of the kids to grow and change

Another problem that we, at DPSSL, one among the top schools in Gurgaon, frequently notice in the kids who are labelled smart is that it leaves very little room for them to change and grow. Children who are called gifted usually go straight into their adulthood with that same tag even when they have long shed the kind of behaviors or abilities that made them get that label.

Fostering the wrong belief that talents are only innate

Stanford education professor, Jo Boaler, strongly believes that labelling inhibits the growth mindset by making children think that they can never go beyond the tag assigned to them. It fosters in those tender minds the false idea that talents can only be innate, instead of being learned and acquired through hard work and practice.

The problems with not praising the efforts and determination

The importance of praising the efforts made by children cannot be stressed enough, especially when it comes to helping them become better with each attempt. So, when they did exceptionally well in that English test, and you said, “Oh! You’re so smart” instead of “I can see that you have worked hard. Congratulations!” you missed out on a great opportunity to teach them about the significance of determination and toil.

We, at DPSSL, in our years of experience of being in the field of education and rising as one of the Top Schools in Gurgaon, have seen that each child is special in his/her own ways. And this transcends beyond the limits of a simple label like ‘smart.’ We firmly believe that children should be filled with a spirit of discovery, which can never happen if they are entangled within the boundaries of a label. They should be rather encouraged to discover the infinite bounds of knowledge from their surroundings and classroom lessons while also tapping into their own traits and interests. And we are very much sure that all the wonderful parents out there would definitely do the same.