How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character

How do children succeed? Is there one thing that boils down to? Is there one magic formula to ensure success for children? This is what Paul Tough explores in his book, How Children Succeed. In particular, he closely examines the aspects of character, including grit, curiosity, self-control, and more. The book is set up in a narrative format, with Tough introducing us to a variety of researchers, administrators, and students, and telling us their story. Reading Tough’s book really helped me to do a self-analysis of what I considered to be “character”. There is a lot of discussion throughout the text about character and what exactly that boils down to, and what indicators of character could be. Tough described several professionals and they had various lists of traits that together formed character. I found this interesting and was intrigued by that which I had never really considered. I have used the term of character before, but I had not done enough self-reflection to determine what, exactly, I was referring to when I said that. After reading, I have more ideas but I think I need more time for self-reflection to be able to determine my own personal idea of character, and how that definition and those traits are impacting my teaching and my students. Character was the big theme of the text, but there was more to the book than just that. I really liked how each chapter in this book had it’s own feel but still built upon the previous chapters. Chapter one is entitled “How to Fail (and How Not To)”. This part of the book explores a school, Fenger, and the students and administrator of the school. Using this, Tough gives us an introduction to trauma scale (ACE), stress systems, and executive functioning skills, among other things. He also introduces us to students who have shown that they can overcome circumstances. Brain research is a heavy theme in this opening chapter. Chapter two is entitled “How to Build Character”. Here is where Tough spends a lot of time introducing us to professionals and their ideas and research on character. He introduces us to David Levin, who came up with the idea of a character report card, and goes through the process of this becoming reality. It is in this chapter, too, that Tough examines affluence. Typically, affluent students are thought to have less troubles than students who are in poverty situations, but Tough shows that although they do not have the same troubles, there are other obstacles they face and that has a different impact on character development. For example, these students might experience a greater pressure to be successful, which an create a feeling of distress. Next the narrative switches to an examination of chess and character in chapter three, “How to Think”. This chapter I found to be the easiest to read. The focus is on chess and how a teacher in Brooklyn uses chess with her intermediate students and takes it beyond the game itself. She ingrains in her students a way of thinking via her chess education. Chapter four, “How to Succeed”, examines college and the path from high school to college. It turns out the greatest indicator of college graduation is a high school GPA, and not because it reflects a student’s mastery of content; rather, a GPA is more a reflection of character skills. In this chapter as well, we are introduced to the organization OneGoal, which is based in Chicago and the goal is to help students find, apply, and be accepted to appropriately matched colleges. Tough goes over this program and also takes us through one student’s journey in this chapter. The book ends with chapter five, “A Better Path”. The chapter begins with a bomb-drop moment of Tough revealing to the reader that he himself was a college drop out. Here he goes into a self-analysis with you, the reader. Then he turns the narrative to his son that the introduced you to in the book’s introduction, and the way that his parenting choices can impact his child’s character. Here, Tough makes a lot of personal connections back to the research he shared with us in chapter one. Finally, Tough spends time here looking at poverty and education. As a teacher, I felt this book was a good read for me. I teach kindergarten at a Title One school, and while reading Tough’s book, I was able to make connections to situations and students I have had. In particular, the overall theme of character I think is important and influential to teachers. After my reading, I believe I have a better understanding of character and what I can do in my time with students to help them build this. Not only do I think I have a better grasp on the concept of character for my students, but I also think I can examine my own character more closely, such as Tough did in the final chapter. While reading, I had an idea of things I was good at and other traits came up that I knew I was not so good at. These character traits I am not exactly strong are areas I can be cognizant of and be proactive about. Self-control is an example of a character trait that I am strong in but I am lacking in grit, which I would attribute to a lack of challenge in childhood. I would definitely recommend this book to teachers, and I would also recommend the book to parents as it has a lot of information that parents can use as well. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough is $15.95, 231 pages long, and published by Mariner Books: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

I really like this book. Tough dug into real issues, talked to experts and explored their research, asking deep questions. Some of his conclusions were more feel good than fully explored, but that was rare! I learned so much about success and raising children. While I don't agree with everything realize that his research and sources are innovating in a developing field thus are still learning themselves. And his sources are both super smart and very committed thus even when they haven't fully come up with a final answer they lead you to follow the direction their research is going. One profound conclusion Tough makes (because I believe it myself) is that parents in the better schools are often setting their kids on a safe path but one that doesn't encourage innovation or risk. Yes! And so few writers are willing to point that out...and it limits the options long term for these "safe" kids who are facing a more rapidly evolving and more competitive world. Why four star and not five? I didn't always agree with the conclusions Tough makes from his research. But you should still buy the book and read every page! I'm just pointing out that it isn't all fact and readers should question his conclusions. A lot of the research is too new or limited, but is heavily valuable as it's so important and ground breaking. Readers just need to do an analysis as well, and judge for their own child or circumstances. So, for example, I've read the Charles Murray book he references, and disagree with how he characterizes Murray's point (to support his thesis). Murray does not claim that children who score poorly on standardized tests should not go to college. Rather he points out our high college drop out rate, especially for children who enter college unprepared, and suggests being realistic about what our child can accomplish. Not all will graduate (they don't). He then points out the best plumber will earn more and be happier than a mid range or less manager. So ,know your child and push them in their best direction; they will feel like failures if you set them up for goals they can't accomplish. Tough uses this Murray line in reference to a very determined young lady who does well her first year in college, despite her poor test score and scattered history...but only after she'd completed one year of college and didn't graduate! So, yes, I totally agree that kids like her should be given all support and opportunities; she's working and fighting hard to succeed. But, i think Murray would also agree and Tough mis-quotes him. One person's opinion. Great book, even if not perfect.

Review courtesy of www.subtleillumination.com How Children Succeed follows on from the classic Mischel work on self control and examines the importance of character (things like self-control, optimism, and grit), not just intelligence, in adult outcomes. Tough points out that measures of character are as good at predicting success in later life as measures of intelligence, and that measures of intelligence can be disturbingly flawed: one study found that offering M&Ms for each correct answer increased IQ scores by 12 points for kids at the bottom of the distribution. One of the most fascinating chapters, though, is on stress. On the savannah, when we see a lion every possible system activates in order to get us out of trouble: we breathe faster, we have more white blood cells, our muscles tense, etc. This response is essential for survival, but wears our body out over time. He argues the same happens today when people have stressful childhoods: their systems become overloaded and wear out, and they find it difficult to regulate thoughts and emotions later in life. If we measure stress levels as children and control for them, the effect of poverty on adult outcomes almost disappears. The evidence is clear that character is extremely important to outcomes, and it’s not clear our modern society accounts for that. Policy interventions are therefore critical. Stress reduction among children can contribute to measures meant to tackle poverty, and ensuring that students rate themselves on non-cognitive measures can go a long way to encouraging the right behaviour, as some charter schools that offer a character report card have discovered. Intelligence is not enough, as many an intelligent adult can tell you.

Paul Tough geht der Frage nach, inwiefern Charaktereigenschaften wie Ausdauer, Optimismus, Neugier, Mut und Gewissenhaftigkeit wichtig für ein erfolgreiches Leben sind und ob der IQ nicht vielleicht eine untergeordnete Rolle spielt. Tatsächlich bezieht er sich auf Studien aus den USA, bei denen besonders leistungsschwache Schüler aus sozial vernachlässigten Elternhäusern ausgewählt wurden, um nachzuweisen, dass diese Schüler bei gezielter Förderung eine gute Chance auf einen guten Schulabschluss und später einen guten Universitätsabschluss haben und somit eine Grundlage für ein erfolgreiches Leben geschaffen wird. Das Werk zeigt eindrucksvoll, dass der IQ einer Person durch günstige Lebensbedingungen auch noch im Jugendalter gefördert werden kann. Er zeigt aber auch, dass Kinder aus vernachlässigten Elternhäusern nur dann eine faire Chance auf einen guten Start ins Leben haben, wenn es spezielle Förderprogramme für sie gibt. Diese Förderprogramme dürfen aber nicht nur Wissen vermitteln, sondern müssen besonderen Wert auf die Charaktereigenschaften legen, da diese wichtiger zu sein scheinen, als der "bloße" IQ eines Menschen.

Finally someone who bothered to look at the simplest reason why kids are successful. As a teacher I am tired of reading the latest and greatest and newest and ending up rolling my eyes because any experienced teacher could debunk the new fashionable theories without effort. This is a Father's experience, well written, thought out, substantiated.

Useful book

I discovered through this book some outstanding researches on how stress in early childhood can influence later their character and learning skills. A great book full of good references and very easy to read.