“To be authentic, teacher encouragement needs to rest on a firm and absolute belief in students’ abilities to learn, figure things out, and develop into mature, autonomous learners. True, not all students can or do. Sometimes they fail and let us down. But that should not shake our faith in the ability of most students to learn well by and through these approaches. It is much easier to offer the kind of encouragement they need when you believe in them.”

—Maryellen Weimer, Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice