The Science Of Labels: How Words Can Shape A Child’s Future
Last Updated:July 01, 2025, 12:39 IST
Labels emerge when children are unable to keep up in class — not because they aren’t capable, but because of undetected learning gaps.
If we want to empower our children to not be restricted and limited, and have them see life as a process of discovery of potential, it’s time for us as parents, teachers and administrative authorities to subscribe to different ideologies to learning
To define somebody or something in a particular way, especially unfairly is one meaning of the word label. When we define something, it may not have as much of a ramification because it’s a ‘thing’. However, when we do the same to a person, the consequences can be quite adverse. So, watch your words. They carry a power. A power to uplift or depress. To invigorate or flatten. To motivate or deflate. And it’s with this idea that we wish to educate the caregiver to #erasethelearninggap by erasing the use of labels.
Varkha Chulani, Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist, Lilavati Hospital, Associate Fellow & Supervisor, The Albert Ellis Institute, New York City, USA and Enakshee Deva, Head – Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Communications, P&G India share all you need to know about labels
Labels can leave a lasting imprint.
They stereotype! “Boys do better math than girls!”
They define. “You’re so slow”.
They generalise. “All kids who can’t do algebra won’t get ahead.”
And before we know it, the child, subject to these labels begins to believe what they hear and begin to subscribe to these ideas about themselves which then often manifest in behavioural patterns.
Often, labels emerge when children are unable to keep up in class not because they aren’t capable, but because of undetected learning gaps.
These labels can stem from a deeper, often overlooked systemic issue, the learning gap. According to the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024, more than 50% of students in Grade 5 cannot read a Grade 2-level text.
This gap between a child’s current abilities and what’s expected at grade level can quietly widen, especially when left unaddressed, and can often become the very reason why children are unfairly labelled. Shockingly only *28% adults are aware of these learning gaps.
So, a girl writes herself off in mathematical ability. Why? Because she’s a girl! A child struggles to finish his homework on time because he’s heard he’s “slow”. Someone else who doesn’t do well in fractions or foundational numeric concepts is made to feel hopeless, thinking they’re not going to get too far in life. All of them display patterns reinforced by labels.
These patterns, often taking root in early educational experiences where foundational skills might not be adequately developed, can unfortunately extend beyond the classroom, potentially impacting their confidence and approach to challenges even in future workplace environments.
Children narrow their learning abilities and begin to restrict themselves by not answering in class and/or participating in certain sporting activities because they’ve heard something about themselves. These ideas about who they are, lead to self-fulfilling prophecies. And it’s time as adults we become mindful of the language we use. Because words carry meanings. And yes, words can mean different things to different people at different times. However, words connote judgement. “Weak”, “slow”, “duffer”, “dunce”, “dull”, and many a times even “kaccha nimbu” the list is endless. In fact, when you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that labels like ‘slow’ and ‘weak’ have colloquial counterparts in various regional languages, such as ‘Doodh Bhat,’ ‘Paccha Kaya,’ and ‘Uppuku Chappa,’ making them a part of everyday languages. And judgements often become all encompassing.
If we want to empower our children to not be restricted and limited, and have them see life as a process of discovery of potential, it’s time for us as parents, teachers and administrative authorities to subscribe to different ideologies to learning. To ensure we are on the right track in doing so, it is extremely crucial to identify these learning gaps, followed by remediation. One way to remediate and even prevent these learning gaps is: describing vs defining.
When we describe behaviour we limit it to only one facet of what a child can do and/or not do. When we ‘define’, it’s a representation of a person in totality. It becomes all pervasive.
So we can more accurately say “your mathematical ability needs improvement” vs “you are a dunce because you can’t do math”. Another example, “let’s learn some methods where you can speed up your writing” vs “you are slow”.
We will notice in the above examples when there is a description of a specific condition we can find interventions. And that’s important to note because that’s how progress takes place. Identify a gap and use methods to minimise and if possible eliminate the gap. However, when we characterise, we often condemn and conclude.
This shift from defining to describing is crucial, as it opens avenues for targeted interventions aimed at addressing specific learning needs. Initiatives like P&G Shiksha have been actively involved in this space for over two decades, implementing programs focused on early childhood education, enhancing learning environments, and providing remedial support through community and digital learning.
It’s encouraging to see various stakeholders, including corporations through their social responsibility efforts, recognizing the significance of addressing these very learning gaps from the grassroots level, implementing on-ground support and leveraging AI-led technologies to ensure more children have the opportunity learn at their own pace and to reach their full potential.
Humans are evolving and developing creatures. With the right kind of identification of the gaps and with the appropriate methodology of correcting and improving on those gaps, children can flourish to have their learning experiences become joyful and fun. After all isn’t one goal of life being able to do better and better every day?
Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl…Read More
Swati Chaturvedi, a seasoned media and journalism aficionado with over 10 years of expertise, is not just a storyteller; she’s a weaver of wit and wisdom in the digital landscape. As a key figure in News18 Engl… Read More
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