How Children Succeed

It's never too early to begin identifying books about education I plan to read over Winter Break and beyond.

The other day I read a review in the New York Times Book Review of Paul Tough's book How Children Succeed.

Tough (by the time you finish this blog, you'll see the appropriateness of his name to the thesis of his book) explains that most parents in America subscribe to what he calls the "cognitive hypothesis...that success today depends primarily on cognitive skills--the kind of intelligence that gets measured on I.Q. tests...and that the best way to develop these skills is to practice them as much as possible, beginning as early as possible."

However, Tough wants parents to subscribe (and provides support in his book) to the "character hypothesis--the notion that non-cognitive skills, like persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit and self-confidence, are more crucial than sheer brain power to achieving success."

So how do you develop character in kids?

Tough succinctly states "character is created by encountering and overcoming failure."

His book then focuses on how on children from both ends of the socioeconomic spectrum are not offered the opportunity to develop their character.

While from the New York Times review it seems to me Tough might be guilty of over-generalizing the experiences of wealthy and poor kids, his book provides a warning for parents and teachers who at one extreme overly control or too tightly control a child's life and at the other are too laissez faire.

His conclusion is that America is a country "of very privileged children and very poor ones, both deprived of the emotional and intellectual experiences that make for sturdy character."

I'm looking forward to reading this book in full. It follows in the recent educational trend (Dweck, Wagner, Walsh Click) that student character and attitude trump cognitive ability and that schools and home need to offer kids more opportunities to struggle through and deal with setbacks, and learn to persevere and to defer gratification.

Remember, self-esteem comes through practice, competence, and achievement--and, in the progressive education tradition, needs to come from within (intrinsically not extrinsically).

Here's the link to Tough's book on Amazon: Click