I really enjoyed this chapter! I think some of the best classes I've ever been in have been classes that felt like a little family. I had a writing class at a community college, and there were about 13 people in the class. We all had become comfortable with each other because we constantly had to read each other's writing. We also had to read our writing out loud, but since we had become so comfortable with each other, we had no problem reading out loud or sharing what we thought about the writings. In this writing class, we also weren't allowed to say anything negative, or if we did it had to be sandwiched in two compliments.
I liked that we had to give compliments, and when I read about the ding-a-ling idea I laughed, but thought to myself, "Oh boy! How true is that!" I think it's great that the students began telling each other not to say bad things because they didn't want to hear the bell ring. I think the ding-a-ling bell transformed the students into people who cared about other's thoughts. just the fact that they were consciously trying to be nicer shows how well this idea worked.
I liked how Beers turned it onto teachers too. Even in a whole room of teachers, there was still shyness and fear of being wrong. As teachers, we're taught to be kind and still teach and try to be open to all answers. So why can't we lose our fear being wrong and set an example for our students? I know I'm not the best one to speak because I know that I get shy in classrooms where I don't know anyone, but I think this is just human nature. It's important that as teachers, we recognize this and make our classrooms open forums for our students.
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