In my Feb. 20, 2011 Being Part of the Club…Being Labeled… post I wrote about having to label my learners by recommending their course of study for the next school year.  The following quote from Dr. Frank Pajares continues to stick with me.

There are few things sadder to a teacher or parent than being faced with capable children who, as a result of previous demoralizing experiences, or even self-imposed mind-sets, have come to believe that they cannot learn when all objective indicators show that they can. Often, much time and patience are required to break the mental habits of perceived incompetence that have come to imprison young minds.
~ Frank Pajares, Schooling in America: Myths, Mixed Messages, and Good Intentions

Watch and read about labels from The Power of Dyslexia:

Do you carry a label?
Was it of your own choosing, or were you labeled by others?

Do we listen to others or collect evidence ourselves when confronted with labels?