I've been hearing more about the importance of getting our students to develop character skills that will prepare them in colleges or careers. After all, what we really want after kids to graduate is not someone who can spout back all the sine and cosine values given an angle, rather someone who can persevere, be creative, and work well with others. Among the values, the one that gets pushed the most is GRIT “the tendency to sustain perseverance and passion for challenging long-term goals." Push for more work from these kids!
Then comes Alfie Kohn's piece in the Washington Post explaining a few reasons the grit craze might not be a cure-all and that it might even be damaging. There is something to be said about NOT working hard on a long term goal especially if the long term goal is unworthy. And sometimes we should quit what we're doing to stop and reassess. Part of what makes his case so compelling is distinguishing between desirable behaviors (like grit) and intrinsic motivation. He also argues that it's nothing new- this is the story/fable we've been telling students for years. "All you need is to work harder to succeed." Let's be honest, the behavior game has been played in schools for a long time. For kids of color and traditionally marginalized backgrounds, they're really told a new version of "work hard." Grit actually goes further to say "work hard at whatever the task." This gets into political territory, and by political I mean power struggle. In the words of Alfie Kohn: "Really? No antipoverty tool — presumably including Medicaid and public housing — is more valuable than an effort to train poor kids to persist at whatever they’re told to do? Whose interests are served by such a position?" Grit doesn't help students change the world they were born into (of the haves and have-nots, greed, racism, and privilege). Instead it says to buckle down and keep at it, without reflecting on the tipped balances. While I find it incredibly important for humans to leave their education being able to focus on something they love and find worthy, I'm not sure that I buy that they should be dedicated to a task blindly. That doesn't seem like the kinds of citizens of neighbors we should have. Then again, others might disagree. I bet those people have a lot to gain with a society full of gritty and non-critical people.
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