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Effort Builder
Sharing ExperiencesEffort is funny. You´ve probably got lots of examples of times when you´ve made major efforts, and nothing worked out. And then, there are those times when you made little effort. Bang! Big results. Children have the same experiences. They write a paper, for example, that takes days and days, and the teacher says, “You should have tried harder.” Then they knock off another paper in ten minutes, and they get an A. Where´s the justice? Answer: There isn´t much, but there is a law of averages. That means that when we try hard, some of the ships will come in, and some won´t, but chances are, there will always be some ships in port. We have to help our children know the value of effort. Failure is no crime. Not trying is. Sparking the ConversationAsk children for their own memories of making an effort and not making an effort. Do they know kids who respond to low test grades by saying, “I didn´t study anyway”? What do your children think that this reaction shows? Try to remember a time when you made an all-out effort, maybe to win someone´s affections or to get on a team, and it didn´t work out. Your children will notice that you are still standing, so making an effort can´t be too disastrous. Effort Builder: Newspaper ActivityCheck the want ads. Pick a few to talk about. The job world is changing. Driving a truck used to be a man´s job. Being a nurse was always woman´s work. This activity helps youngsters start thinking and talking about what they might like to do when they are older. Suggest that youngsters cut out articles and pictures of people doing different jobs that might be interesting as a career. Discuss together the pluses and the minuses of each. Moving to Bigger QuestionsTry these for a lively discussion: Is there a fear among students about making an effort, a fear that if you try and lose, it´s worse than not trying? What about expectations? How realistic are we about winning and losing? Just as we learn in different ways, different kinds of effort are very useful for our well-being. © Dorothy Rich, 2000. The nonprofit Home and School Institute, sponsor of the MegaSkills program, was founded by Dr. Dorothy Rich in 1964. For information about bringing MegaSkills books and programs to your school and community group, contact: The Home and School Insitute, MegaSkills Education Center; 1500 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington DC 20005. Phone: (202) 466-3633. Fax: (202) 833-1400. www.MegaSkillsHSI.org Reprinted with permission. Intro | Newspaper Tips | NIE & You | Activities | MegaSkills | |||||
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