The Secret to Raising a Smart Child is to be a Smart Parent

Telling your child he is 'smart' does not raise smart children...its better to praise effort and hard work so we realise that we are 'smart' because we work hard... http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-secret-to-raising-smart-kids Parents, and teachers, can engender a growth mind-set in children by praising them for their effort or persistence (rather than for their intelligence), by telling success stories that emphasize hard work and love of learning, and by teaching them about the brain as a learning machine. A brilliant student, Jonathan sailed through grade school. He completed his assignments easily and routinely earned As. Jonathan puzzled over why some of his classmates struggled, and his parents told him he had a special gift. In the seventh grade, however, Jonathan suddenly lost interest in school, refusing to do homework or study for tests. As a consequence, his grades plummeted. His parents tried to boost their son’s confidence by assuring him that he was very smart. But their attempts failed to motivate Jonathan (who is a composite drawn from several children). Schoolwork, their son maintained, was boring and pointless. Our society worships talent, and many people assume that possessing superior intelligence or ability—along with confidence in that ability—is a recipe for success. In fact, however, more than 30 years of scientific investigation suggests that an overemphasis on intellect or talent leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unwilling to remedy their shortcomings. The result plays out in children like Jonathan, who coast through the early grades under the dangerous notion that no-effort academic achievement defines them as smart or gifted. Such children hold an implicit belief that intelligence is innate and fixed, making striving to learn seem far less important than being (or looking) smart. This belief also makes them see challenges, mistakes and even the need to exert effort as threats to their ego rather than as opportunities to improve. And it causes them to lose confidence and motivation when the work is no longer easy for them. Praising children’s innate abilities, as Jonathan’s parents did, reinforces this mind-set, which can also prevent young athletes or people in the workforce and even marriages from living up to their potential. On the other hand, our studies show that teaching people to have a “growth mind-set,” which encourages a focus on effort rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life. ....................................................................................... As a teacher I see many students who start school doing well, and then start having problems, and some become problem students, and I see how this effects the students who consider themselves 'smart' but assume 'smartness' should automatically make them succeed at Studies. We do not focus on the effort needed until it is too late. Its not the time to tell University students that they need to 'do some study'. Many assume that they can simply pass exams because they are enrolled. The fault lies with the Education System that allows students who do not meet the required grade to pass up into the higher level. The student who has managed to go up the educational ladder without learning anything, thinks he is 'smart' because the school system has simply passed him, because not doing so reflects ultimately on the teacher as a failure, not the student. He knows he has not worked, and assumes that he has passed because he is smart, not because the school was lax in their assessment. This is what is ultimately behind every uneducated student....parents telling him he is smart, and teachers, and schools, scared they will be penalised if they fail a student. Maybe its time we all started focusing on our own efforts...teachers too...the student fails to learn because the teaching method has not approached the students way of learning, the student has not worked, and because the student needs to realise that learning does not miraculously happen, that effort is also needed. The sad part is that learning may not occur, but the student gets a certificate saying he has passed that year or subject. Right now there are many  students going to study in Universities and Higher Level Colleges  who do not have the required basic minimum standard, yet they hold basic test scores telling them they have passed  their secondary schooling and are ready to continue with their higher studies. Yes, every student knows they are 'smart' because their doting parents have told them this...and paid for them to attend an University or College that they would never have got in by their own merits, and will continue to pay for them until the student decided they are 'not really set out for this area of study' and will resign and look elsewhere for an easier path in life. The real world does not cater to them as easily as the schools and parents. They will discover this when they try to become a part of it. Maybe its too late ......it takes a smart parent to raise a smart child...and a smart parent will never have a not smart child. The answer is one word....Effort or two words....Hard Work Think About It........You have to be smart to have a smart child. Marguerite Carstairs 2008