Some of the most powerful celebrations of success are not public ones -- but personal congratulations from the instructor or education manager. In the case of the tardy student -- we would not make it public. The instructor should pull the student aside and thank them for their efforts to arrive on time. It is that simple positive reinforcment that makes a huge difference. Another example is with grades. A student failed their first quiz. On their second they got a D. What they are thinking is that they are struggling and not getting good grades. An instructor has 2 choices here. They can reinforce the negativity by agreeing that the student is not getting very good grades. This action creates a cycle of negativity. On the other hand, the instructor can go to that student and congratulate them for their improvement. Ask them what they did different and encourage them to continue that activity. In this case, we are celebrating improvement -- no matter how minor. We want student to understand reaching the top of the mountain requries many steps up. As long as they strive to improve -- we are thrilled with the result -- regardless of the grade. Again this is a private celebration -- but a very powerful one.