Gold Star stickers

[cormac]

A professor at CSULB a while back decided to start putting stickers on papers that were particularly good. At face value, one would expect the college students to be insulted, or at least annoyed. "Stickers? What does he think this is, kindergarten?" However, his students loved the idea, and got excited to see what kinds of stickers would come out next.

I heard about this from one of his students, and came up with the hypothesis that most college students (and adults in general) don't get nearly enough of a tangible reassurance that they are doing a good job. So I bought a pack of gold star stickers and started giving them out to people I saw who were doing good things. Decent service at a restaurant or cashier's window? Gold star. Picking up a piece of litter on the ground that isn't yours? Gold star. You get the idea. Every time, it was accepted more thankfully, and with more glee and excitement, than anything else I could imagine giving. The waitress I gold-starred jumped up and down, and put the star on her right temple. I recently found the sheet of gold stars in my drawer, and I think I may start carrying them around again.

This leads to my question, posed to the reading audience: what do you think of this phenomenon? Are people so starved for recognition that what they are doing is good and right that just a sticker could do all this? Is it nostalgia? What do you think?

Comments

[magdollna.livejournal.com]

I have days when I think no one cares. I am saying a gold star will make me jup up and down and go squee. I will say its the thought someone appreciated me doing my job well.
mags

[blackbirdsings.livejournal.com]

Seems to me like it's just a modern form of giving largesse/recognition for a job well done. I carry around little silk roses and a handful of gold unicorn charms and other such baubles to give to people in the SCA for any number of reasons--any time I'm impressed with someone's kindness, service, chivalry, skill, whatever. I have a small box of things others have given to me, mostly for bardic performances, and I do treasure them as tangible reminders of times when people have complimented or commended me.

I don't think it's desperation or starving for praise. I think it's that the people you feel compelled to praise most are the ones who are usually so accustomed to just "doing their thing" and thinking nothing of it, expecting no sort of recognition for doing what they would do anyway, that when they DO get recognized for it, even in a small way, it comes as a delightful surprise. I think the world could do with more of this sort of thing, personally.

[matrygg.livejournal.com]

I think it's probably a combination of nostalgia and pleasure that they were recognized for doing something that they just would have done anyway. Since I think at heart most people think their efforts go unnoticed to actually have them noticed, and by a stranger no less, means something.

gold stars

[(Anonymous)]

Everyone likes to know that they are doing good and are appreciated. We take our day to day lives for granted and get in a system of just functioning and forgetting to smell the roses. When you hand someone a gold star its like shaking them and waking them up. Seeing the gold star for doing what has been taken for granted makes others feel alive and gives them new breath. I think we all could learn something from this. A strange thought is this I get in a elevator daily and take it up to the 19th floor sometimes I'm alone and sometimes there is one or two people in there with me. Its strange no one talks to each other and no one knows anyone unless of course they work in thier office. think of that you work in this building everyday for years and never know anyone...but you see them daily. Strange isn't it? The human condition...maybe I should try my own gold star experiment on this elevator?

Deja

[(Anonymous)]

It's good to be recognized and appreciated, especially when no such response is anticipated. That serves to set the bar for what constitutes a pleasing tangible form much lower.
Good on you, though. Hell, I'd do it if I wasn't in a country that deserves a frowny face!

Daniel

[magenta513.livejournal.com]

I think it's a little of both.

Whenever I direct or supervise, I always make sure to give the positive reinforcement, and before the people get used to me, you can just see the look of pride in their eyes.

Also, though, I do think it's the nostalgia factor.

And honestly, who doesn't want a star reminding them how appreciated they are?

[dragynsidhe.livejournal.com]

Others have said it better.

I just wanted to say that I think it's an awesome idea----and I may just steal it. (: