Failure Leads to Success

I have three tabs open in my browser right now. I have had them open for some time, because I wanted to get to them and read them. Finally, six weeks into my first year of school, I have had the opportunity to look at them in greater depth. I am posting the links here, because I wanted to share them with my limited audience. One link at a time.


 "Why kids need to fail to succeed in school" by MARGARET WENTE
Article

I enjoyed reading this interview article, which is rather long (in a world of 500 word blog posts), but brushes on issues I would like to explore further: Persistence, Perseverance, and the Pursuit of Perfection.

Margaret Wente interviews Paul Tough:

Mr. Tough’s new book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character, combines compelling findings in brain research with his own first-hand observations on the front lines of school reform. He argues that the qualities that matter most to children’s success have more to do with character – and that parents and schools can play a powerful role in nurturing the character traits that foster success. His book is an inspiration. It has made me less of a determinist, and more of an optimist.

 
The discussion of "grit" as a semi-accurate predictor of success made me think of The Marshmallow Test. This, however, is a whole different discussion. Wente and Tough go on to discuss how important failure is to developing "grit" and perseverance.

There are several videos, podcasts, and articles which discuss the The Marshmallow Test, so I will leave it to you to find, but here is a cute video

For the most part, I wanted to share the Article , so please enjoy.