Being Smart and Working Hard

This week's article summary is Why the Myth of the Lazy Genius is So Harmful.

As I read the article, I thought of Carol Dweck’s growth mindset work’s influence on how teachers speak to their students: we overtly emphasize the importance of grit, determination, and hard work in overcoming obstacles.

Yet, as the article implies, when teachers stress the need for effort, our students, particularly girls, can draw the conclusion that success comes primarily from effort, not from intelligence.

The article points out that girls as young as six may not believe that they are ‘really, really smart.’

It’s a delicate balance we face in the classroom. We want to develop good work and study habits in our students because we know how important a strong attitudinal and organizational foundation is to future success.

But if our students only feel their success is a result of effort, they may become perfectionists who work harder than they need to. 

It wasn’t until I was a junior in college that I was learned to honestly self-assess how well I knew the material before exams. Over time, I became confident in both my abilities and in my preparation. If I knew the material, I would stop studying the night before a big exam. Had I thought that my success was solely a result of my studying efforts, I probably would have continued to study, even though I know the material. 

I know Dweck’s Growth Mindset has tilted the scales toward effort, but let’s not neglect to remind kids that they have innate ability as well.

Joe

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Let’s play a game. Close your eyes and think of a young person in your life who has a lot of intellectual potential but hasn’t lived up to it because of a lackluster work ethic.

Now, think of another young person who maybe isn’t as gifted but has accomplished a lot because of sheer determination.

Got them picked out?

If I were to guess, I’d say you probably came up with a boy for the first example (the “lazy genius”) and a girl for the second (the “striver”). 

Just think of the Harry Potter series. Harry was born with great magical powers, which enabled him to defeat the villain even though he didn’t spend much time studying at wizard school (and had the middling grades to show for it). In contrast, his female friend Hermione was very, very studious—yet, her magic powers were only those of a sidekick.

Unwittingly, we often allow the same Harry/Hermione dynamic to color our perceptions of boys and girls at home and in the classroom. And, not surprisingly, children absorb these ideas: By the age of 6, girls are already less likely than boys to view their own gender as “really, really smart.”

These perceptions matter because many prestigious careers, including those in science and technology, are looking for Harrys—people who have that “raw” intellectual firepower that Hermiones are often unjustly assumed to lack.

What can we do about this? While we might be tempted to immediately apologize to all the capable girls we know for failing to recognize their genius, that’s probably not the way to go. When young people are praised for their smarts, they often lose motivation in the face of difficulty.

Instead, let’s glamorize striving and ambition, making students like Hermione the protagonists, not the sidekicks. And boys shouldn’t be the yardstick of gender equality: Girls don’t need to be treated more like boys—rather, many boys would be better off if adults didn’t use the “lazy genius” idea as an excuse for underachievement.

Don’t assume that girls’ hard work is somehow compensating for a lack of “natural” talent. A person can be both gritty and talented.

Do explain to the young people in your life how much talent and ability can grow.  In real life—unlike in the movies—Hermiones are just as capable as Harrys, whether they are girls or boys.