Opposite

(This is from November.) Aaron was telling me about a certain teacher he has this year.

Aaron: He’s kind of the opposite of you, Mom.
Rachel: What do you mean?
Aaron: You always tell me some way that I did a good job, like I tried hard or I did one thing better than last time. With him though, if I say “I did terrible,” he will just agree with me. He’ll say “Yep, Aaron, that was terrible.”
Rachel: Huh. Which way helps you work harder the next time?
Aaron: Definitely your way. His way, I just shut down. It makes me want to quit.

I’m bummed about this teacher’s style, but glad Aaron finds my way helpful!