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Looking to Raise Smart, Succesful Children? Teach Them a Work Ethic

By Tom Hanson | Related entries in News

In one of Kurt Vonnegut’s most enduring short stories, Harrison Bergeron, everyone is finally equal thanks to the efforts of the Handicapper General. However, one of the many lasting messages of the story is a derisive one.

In the futuristic world of Harrison Bergeron, accomplishment is no longer the measure of stature. Instead, it is all about trying, of recognizing effort regardless of result.

However, a recent summary of three decades of research reveals that when it comes to raising smart children, developing their work ethic is in fact the most critical component. Whether it is success in school or in life, research indicates that innate intelligence and ability are simply not as important as a person’s work ethic.

Continue reading Smart, Successful Children at OpenEducation.net.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Looking to Raise Smart, Succesful Children? Teach Them a Work Ethic”

Gaucho Politico Says:
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:31 pm
well duh. look at school there were two types of a students. one group who worked really hard and did all the work to grasp the lesson. the other grasped it intuitively. As you go up the ladder though the ability to naturally grasp material gets evened out to where being a worker can compensate and overtake natural ability coupled with sloth.
hall monitor Says:
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Speaking of children…a fifth grade boy was just suspended for wearing an anti-Obama shirt to school! It’s crazy.

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