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“Are grades really all that important?”
It’s a question I get from time to time, and it deserves a thoughtful answer.
First of all, let's dismiss the notion that grades are overrated or not important.
They're crucial – tremendously so.
However, when it comes to your lowest-achieving kids, the ones teetering on the edge of failing and big trouble, it's wise to focus your "big picture" efforts on factors other than sheer grades. You absolutely must think outside the box if you're going to motivate the unmotivated child.
So here's a better question . . .
Are grades the most accurate predictor of success?
The answer is probably not.
Studies have shown that scores on a test of hope are more accurate than the SAT at predicting college grades. The same is true of a test on optimism.
This makes common sense. We've all taught overachieving kids who made it to the front row on guts, determination and pure perseverance. And we've certainly seen our share of smart kids who drift astray on cruise control and bad influences.
Let me put this in terms you can relate to . . .
Let's say you have two kids in your class: One earns B's without a lot of effort, and the other works really hard to earn C's.
Let's say your "C" student shows up every day, has a good attitude, and can handle mildly stressful situations and make adjustments and decisions easily — all with a smile on his face.
On the other hand, let's say your "B" student misses class, tends to be a bit cocky, has a simmering negative streak, frowns a lot during mildly stressful situations, and often makes poor adjustments and bad decisions.
So here is when this "C" kid shines:
1. Whenever the teacher (or his future boss) comes
in mildly upset or has the flu.
2. When teacher tells everyone, "Wednesday is a
substitute teacher and I need you guys to be real good and to
do x and y."
3. When another student has a bloody nose and the
teacher needs a student to walk him to the nurse.
4. When two other kids gossip about another kid
who does not fit in and he is able to say the right thing to
turn the situation around.
And here is when this "B" student shines:
1. At test time.
So let me ask you: Which kid will fare better in this world once his mortarboard falls back to earth on graduation day?
Society is filled with semi-talented millionaires and gifted failures. So if you're in the position of trying to save a floundering student, it makes sense to use everything at your disposal. Creating an optimistic mindset might serve you well if you're getting nowhere through traditional channels.
How can we do that?
Well, here are three components children (and anyone else) can exercise to develop these special skills . . .
 Increase self-awareness by understanding "how you
operate" and make decisions.
Consciously select your thoughts, feelings and actions.
Develop empathy and principled decision-making to
increase wisdom.
(Those are just the general components. I'll get more specific in a minute.)
Can optimism be taught?
The good news is that the answer appears to be yes.
It's tempting to think that a sense of optimism or pessimism is simply a personality trait, or "just how someone is," but research has shown that optimism or pessimism can be learned and adopted.
When you teach a child to be more optimistic, he or she will be more motivated, successful and healthy, both mentally and physically.
One key difference between optimists and pessimists is how they view failure. Pessimists see failure as permanent, personal and pervasive, while optimists see it as temporary, non-personal, and specific. Interestingly, their views on success are just the opposite: the optimists sees success as something long-term and global, something that results from hard work. Pessimists are more likely to view success as something short-term and accidental.
I don't know about you, but I find it tremendously exciting to learn that these traits can be improved in kids. I can hardly think of a more valuable skill to teach than the type of optimism that breeds perseverance. We've all seen how perseverance can trump talent in the real world, so why not teach these skills along with your regular curriculum?
Here are three ways you can teach optimism
1. Model it yourself.
If you're naturally the type to walk on the sunny side of the street, then this will be easy for you. Simply give voice to that nature in front of your kids.
However, if your glass is typically half-empty, then you'll want to listen to yourself as you react to various frustrations and obstacles. My book discusses this in detail in the chapter titled "Right Words." For example, instead of reflexively saying "Isn't this frustrating!" when stuck in traffic on the way to school, catch yourself and say, "Well, isn't this interesting."
Using the non-judgmental word "interesting" instead of the more pessimistic word "frustrating" will make a difference immediately in your outlook (not to mention your blood pressure), and if you do this consistently enough you will| notice a fairly profound change in your outlook. Your students can't help but pick up on that.
2. Help re-frame your students' perception of a frustrating event.
For example, let's say your class had to cancel a special outdoor field trip because of bad weather. You hear one boy griping about the lost opportunity, so you decide to turn this into a mini-optimism lesson. You could say to the class, "You know, I'm disappointed, too. I was looking forward to going to this event as much as you guys. But I'll bet you we can brainstorm at least 10 ways why this is actually a good thing."
And then you turn to the blackboard and start the class off by writing one or two reasons that come to mind, and let the class come up with the other eight. By the way, I don't care what the disappointment is — if you are creative and persistent enough, you will be able to come up with at least 10 possibilities and/or reasons that will re-frame that disappointment into something positive.
3. Help kids pinpoint exactly WHY something failed.
Pessimists tend to "globalize" failure and ascribe it to "fate" and "just the way things are." However, if you can identify an exact cause and effect for their disappointment or failure, they will be less likely to take it to heartand become fatalistic.
Here's an example. Let's say a student is unable to finish an in-class painting assignment because the one red magic marker she needed is dried out and can't be used. She says, "What lousy luck — now I'll never be able to finish this project!" You say, "Well, it looks like someone left the cap off this particular marker, which is why it's dry now."
By pointing out a specific cause and effect, the sting of the disappointment will be reduced, and you can then re-frame her perspective by saying something like, "Yes, that's really frustrating, Katie, but you'll still be able to finish this project, even if it's not right now."
These three techniques help "de-personalize"
failure, and if you can teach students to see failures
as just temporary bumps in the road, you'll be
teaching them something that will serve
them the rest of their lives.
I will share some more specific ways you can develop this inner fortitude in your students in later articles. But for now, I can't emphasize enough how crucial it is to give troubled students a new mental paradigm.
Clearly, for some of our students, the big picture they have of school and their lives isn't working for them, which is one reason they have no problem in trying to ruin your day.
But if you can get them to see a better and bigger picture for themselves (also known as "Hope" and "The Future"), then you'll experience your greatest fulfillment as teacher.
Bottom line – If you can teach optimism along with the three R’s, you’ll be able to improve behavior, raise grades, and increase any child’s chance of success in life.
Copyright © 2008 by Tom Daly / Smarty Pants Publications
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