Rethinking Failure, Growth and Intelligence – Let the Games Begin!

by Jackie Gingrich Cushman - February 3, 2008 - Townhall.com

This past weekend, I could hear the peals of laughter from the den. My mother and my two children were playing a game of chance and strategy. There were instances when each of the children became upset, and almost quit. My mother encouraged them to stay in the game. Following her advice, they each won a round. The game soon ended, and while my mother did not win a round, my guess is that she considers teaching them persistence her reward.

An article I recently read, “The Secret to Raising a Smart Kid,” By Dr. Carol Dweck, (Scientific American Mind, December 2007) sheds light on why I might care about winning or losing a game. I have been more concerned with looking smart than with learning – forgetting that learning requires accepting risk and the possibility of failure.

This is a great article for those who care about education. Persistence. The belief in persistence. The stubborn effort to keep trying . . . until you succeed . . . can be taught.

We need to remember the famous quote from Calvin Coolidge:

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

At a time when educators are so intent on teaching complex theories of tolerance and diversity, they have abandoned teaching the one attitude that leads to success, persistence.

I wonder why?

This is a great article about attitudes towards intelligence and its relationship to persistence. It sheds light on a number of issues related to why our schools are failing.