Teachers play a key role in the learning outcome, levels of comprehension, and overall development of their students.

Being in this position of influence, teachers' interactions with their students impacts performance, knowledge, and overall competency. There is a large amount of trust placed in this role, and what teachers say and do around their students is very powerful.

While a plain old ” I'm proud of you” or “Good job” can convey an intent to commend someone on work well done, these phrases have been so widely used that they've begun to lose meaning. Sticking with traditional congratulatory statements like these can be ineffective in sharing how proud you actually are of your students, and can often fall short of conveying the appreciation and inspiration meant to be generated from the message.

So, how can you make these exchanges more powerful when used with students? By rearranging them into new word combinations that are aimed at strengthening relationships, promoting growth, and more effectively communicating why we are happy with someone's work.

There are lots of creative ways to express that you are proud of your students, we’re listing our top 12 below:

1. ‘I admire...’

Telling students you admire a specific detail or aspect of their work can go a long way in letting them know that you are genuinely interested in and impressed with what they have done. Going into detail makes this a more effective way to share this feeling. By pointing out specific highlights, we are showing those who we are complimenting that we are taking the time to understand and completely appreciate their work. By taking out the time to identify details in this way, you’ll be able to better communicate to your students that you genuinely care for their performance and ultimate success, and likewise build a stronger relationship with them in doing so.

2. 'How did you manage to [insert task/accomplishment]?'

This is a great way to engage with students on their work, and is also an easy means to increase confidence levels in the person to whom you are speaking. Asking open-ended questions like this provides students an opportunity to delve into their answers and elaborate on the details of their work. This can allow them to reiterate their accomplishments and will leave them feeling fulfilled. By asking questions like these, you can effectively let students know you are proud of them, by reinforcing and validating the pride they already have in themselves.

3. 'I can't imagine how proud you must be of this'

Statements like this are an excellent way to communicate your happiness with student work, while also promoting their intrinsic self-sufficiency. By making a statement about how the person you are speaking to you must feel, you are sharing that despite your input, their outlook on the work is what is of the greatest relevance. Through this, you are positioning the student you are congratulating to have more confidence in themselves, their opinions, and really, the value of their performance. This goes a long way in supporting your student’s self-belief and sufficiency long term, as it inclines them to see their own value in the work they produce, and to not be at the mercy of the opinions of others.

4. ‘Tell me more’

There's probably no better way to show students you're interested in something than to ask to hear more about it. When teachers say phrases like 'Tell me more', what we're really saying is that we are paying attention to and are engaged with the student we are interacting with, validate what they are sharing, and care enough to learn more about it. Such a statement can do great things in terms of improving a student's sense of confidence, and is likewise helpful in communicating that we have positive thoughts on their work.

5. ‘You should be proud’

This is another means of encouraging students to feel good about themselves by expressing positive feelings about their work. By praising with this line, you can help show students you believe in them and are happy with their efforts, thus making it easy for them to feel satisfied with their work as well. By using phrases like these, you’re also encouraging students to think about what they personally need, instead of what others want or expect from them. This is a powerful way to make students feel like they are in control of their own future and progress, as well as to support self awareness and self-esteem.

6. ‘You should be happy with...’

Similar to the phrase above, this can help students develop a sense of contentment about their work by focusing on what they have accomplished and what they should feel good about. By placing the attention on their own feelings in this way, you can foster a higher level of self-awareness and confidence in the student. By creating an emphasis on how students process and internalize their work rather than simply what they produce, you can help create a strong sense of accountability in them for themselves, and by extension, the work they produce.

7. ‘I was so impressed with...’

This is another example of a statement that reinforces the pride someone should feel about their work, while supporting their autonomy by communicating what was impressive to us. This can be used as a means of affirming and validating students' own sense of value in themselves and what they produce, and by extension, can make them feel appreciated and acknowledged for it.

8. ‘You must feel...’

This statement is especially useful among teachers who wish to take a more hands-off approach with their students. Too often, we try to communicate what we want others to think about our work rather than letting them formulate their own opinions and decide for themselves how they feel about it. By not sharing the teacher’s feelings, and allowing students to form their own thoughts and opinions about what they do, we can give them the confidence and agency to take pride in their own work.

9. ‘That was great!’

This statement is a fairly simple way of communicating that you like a student's work, and with its directness, it can be quite helpful in terms of expressing your appreciation for what they've done. For teachers who find themselves with limited time for praising those they work with, this is an easy way to quickly yet strongly convey validation for someone's performance. It has the benefit of being simple and easy to remember and is most effective when used with the right delivery. What matters in this statement is the emphasis and passion you use to make it.

10. ‘I couldn’t have done it better!’

This specific phrase can emphasize the value of the work involved, by using a metaphor that creates a visual image to enhance what we're saying, and truly illustrate our emotions. It can be extremely helpful in communicating how proud you are of someone, as it uses the leverage of comparative language to validate the student's work to be the best that the teacher imagined. By using this phrase, we can help students feel noticed, appreciated, and acknowledged for their hard work that will stick with them long after the moment has passed.

11. ‘I really like that...’

This phrase is short and sweet, but it packs a punch in terms of communicating support for someone's work. By telling them specifically what you appreciate about the performance, it helps to highlight the strengths of their creative process and can mirror self-awareness by placing value on specific elements. This can help students feel more confident in what they are doing because by being specific yet concise, we have helped them recognize their own understanding of what they've done better.

12. ‘I think you did really well...'

This statement speaks directly to a student’s efforts in a particular situation, and encourages them. By saying this, you are letting students know that you trust their judgment and choices, thus encouraging them to trust themselves more. This can be a great way of helping students learn from mistakes and build confidence in their own abilities while learning new things while working within a team or on a project.

To conclude

There are hundreds of ways to express how proud you are of someone, and for teachers, doing so with creativity and emphasis can go a long way in supporting students’ progress.

Phrases like the ones mentioned above offer ways to communicate value for students' work and can be used in just about any situation. They are simple expressions that require little effort, but can have a lasting impact on those who hear them. Use this list to try mixing up the ways you praise your students and give it your best shot! And with the over 171,000 words in the English language, you're bound to find something inspirational to say.

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