I have often wondered how it is that I managed to graduate not only from college but grad school. As a teacher, I teach a lot of kids who seem a whole lot smarter than me. I also see a lot of average kids, who like me when I was in high school, don't particularly excel in anything. I ditched my fair share of classes, most my senior year and always to socialize. I never got into trouble, but I didn't even bother to take the ACT or SAT while in high school. I had a student reach out to me today with his hand (I think he was giving me a high five) and say, "Ford, you give me so much hope for my future!" I wasn't sure if it was a compliment.
The conversation in my class was about rules. I don't really like rules, but I understand that I have to enforce them. In general most all rules are just common sense. Don't steal, don't throw things, etc. Those kind of rules are easy to follow and not difficult to enforce. If a kid throws something in my class, I do my best to make him (or her, but usually it's a him) understand he is idiot if he breaks that rule again. I mean, come on, it's common sense. There are a few rules that aren't as easy to follow for students, like having a phone out or wearing a hat. I try my best to use a combination of good humor and reasonableness when enforcing those rules. Nothing is that big of deal, we just have to follow a few rules.
There's a great article in the NY Times called "What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?" (published: September 14, 2011) that claims that self-control can be a more reliable predictor of students’ success than their intelligence. I have seen this to be true with my own three daughters and it is certainly true in my own life. I can look back with some accuracy and see that my own successes have come from a lot of optimism, some persistence and more social intelligence than a high IQ. According to the headmaster of one of NY's most prestigious schools, “The idea of building grit and building self-control is that you get that through failure,” he explained. “And in most highly academic environments in the United States, no one fails anything.” I understood how Erika could get an A in calculus after failing geometry in high school. She had learned more than just math in her education. As I see both Monika and Jessi excel in their HS experiences, I believe they have learned most of their "grit" via sports. I hope it's enough. No one wants to see their child fail. But if it is the actual failure that brings on succes, then okay, leggo.
Comments