Fostering Focused Interests

Decades ago, I used to edit an antiques and collectibles tabloid. The publication contained many interviews with people who studied and collected specialty items. I was amazed at the items that wound up in these collections, the numbers of people who became passionate about their areas of interest, and the amount of information that could be learned from trivia that may have seemed meaningless to the rest of society.

One man’s house was filled with bells of all sizes. Another person’s basement contained display cases of pencils. Still others collected vintage buttons. Each of these people could cite all kinds of historical facts about his collection.

A visit to eBay will also reveal the number of people who collect and sell special interest items. These are not hoarders. These are people who genuinely get excited about their area of interest and learn everything they can about it.

Young people also may find niches that allow them to focus their learning through collections. Really being able to “get into” a subject builds traits that may transfer to more traditional areas of learning and also guide students to future work. Some of these traits include:

• tenacity
• networking with others of like minds
• creativity
• stress reduction
• pride in one’s accomplishments
• setting and working toward goals 

While there are many hobbies, collections, and special interests from which a child may choose, I will use trains as an example to illustrate my point. As parents and educators, we want to encourage young people to pursue their passions. Here are some possible ways to do that with trains.

• Museums: When you’re traveling, take time to visit railroad museums. For a list of railroad museums across the nation and throughout the world, visit RailMuseums.com.
• Train Stations: Click here for a list of train stations around the world. Some have historic architectural significance and some are very modern.
• Build a Model Railroad: Building one’s own model railroad is a fantastic way to enhance creativity, work on fine motor skills, manage money, learn to read and understand detailed instructions, and plan. Such hobbies often begin in childhood and continue long into adulthood. For learning all about building a model railroad, check out Building Your Model Railroad.
• Books: Want to learn about the history of trains and railroads and the people who were most influential in creating them? This information will help a student to understand the development of transportation and help put general history in perspective. One also can learn about today’s high-speed trains and commuter systems, the future direction of rail travel, and how that might influence societal trends. For a list of railroad books, go to sites such as Railroad Bookstore or Golden West Books.
• Train Clubs and Organizations: Clubs and organizations are great places to not only learn about your hobby, but also to meet other people with the same interest. Adult members may act as mentors to young people, providing encouragement and expertise. For a list of model railroad clubs, go to Rails USA and search by your state.
• Take a Ride: Consider a vacation by rail or just a ride downtown on a commuter train. See listings at Train Traveling. Search local transportation systems such as light rail, subways, and elevated trains at local public transportation sites. 

You can take any subject in which your child shows an interest and brainstorm all of the possible ways to support that interest. You never know where it may ultimately lead.

Do You Want a Gifted or a Hard-Working Child?

Parenting: Do You Want a Gifted or Hard-Working Child? presents an alternative way of thinking about parenting gifted kids. The author of the article, Jim Taylor, notes that although "the world is full of gifted failures," parents continue to "hope beyond hope that their children are gifted."

Kids often feel the same way. According to Taylor, whenever he asks a group of kids whether they would rather be gifted or hard working, almost all of them say that they would rather be gifted. In their view, being gifted means that that they are not only destined for success, they won't have to work that hard for it either.

Hard work and perseverance are crucial components of success; however, many people tend to negate the importance of hard work and practice and instead believe that achievement is based on ability alone. This is a dangerous misconception, particularly for gifted kids.

Because learning comes so easily to them when they are young, gifted kids often fail to learn that there is an important link between effort and outcome. They assume that their achievements are a result of their natural ability and that, conversely, their failures are a result of their ability, as well. As Taylor writes: "If gifted children attribute their successes to their ability, when they fail—which they inevitably will sooner or later—they must attribute their failures to their lack of ability (they must be stupid or untalented)." Unfortunately, this kind of misguided thinking can lead kids to give up on a task prematurely because they fear that they aren't good enough. They don't understand that effort is just as important to success as ability.

If these kids continue to succeed with limited effort, they will eventually find themselves in an environment (such as a selective college or university) where nearly everyone is gifted. As Taylor writes: "At this point, giftedness isn't what ultimately determines who becomes truly successful. What separates those children who are simply gifted from those who are gifted and successful is whether they possess the skills to maximize their gifts. Unfortunately, these children will find that their inborn talent is no longer sufficient to be successful. Because everything comes so easily to them, many never learn the skills—hard work, persistence, patience, perseverance, discipline—that will enable them to become truly successful."

Taylor even goes so far as to say that parents should not tell their children that they’re gifted because it will put an unnecessary burden upon them. As Taylor writes: "Instead of emphasizing your children's giftedness, you should talk to them about the attitudes and skills—which are under their control—that they will need to fully realize their talents." Taylor also believes that we should not tell a child that he or she has great potential because having potential means that a youngster has done nothing yet. Potential implies eventual adult success, and, as Taylor writes, we are simply not very good at predicting who will become successful in life.

According to Dr.Anders Ericcson, a professor at Florida State University who has studied expert performance in sports, music, mathematics, and other activities, the single greatest predictor for success is how many hours a person has practiced an activity. The more hours one practices, the better he or she is. (Remember the 10,000 hours rule that Malcolm Gladwell championed in his book, Outliers? That rule is based on a study that Ericcson conducted. According to the 10,000 hours rule, it takes approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve mastery.) As Taylor writes: "Hard work means children putting in the necessary time, sticking with it when it's not always fun, persevering in the face of setbacks and failures, and developing all of the skills necessary to become successful."

And so now we have one more way of looking at the capabilities and possibilities of young people. Be sure to check out the comments section at the bottom of Taylor's article for an ongoing discussion of his viewpoints.

Helping Students Find Their Passions

Passion drives an individual and creates self-motivation. Some students easily develop strong interests that motivate them; for many others, discovering his or her passion is not always so simple.

How can we, as adults, help these kids uncover their desire to learn? This can be accomplished in two ways: first, by exposing kids to a wide range of subjects, interests, and experiences; and second, by allowing kids to observe first-hand another person’s excitement for a topic.

Parents and teachers may assume that a student's passion must be academically driven in order to be important, but this is not true. A student's profound interest in just about any socially acceptable area can be very significant. For example, when a student is driven by an extracurricular passion, he will often find reasons to work harder on academic areas that support that interest.

Eleven-year-old Tyler Befus found his passion in fly fishing. Fly fishing led Tyler to write two books about the subject, develop his marketing skills, and practice public speaking at a very young age. It also motivated him to study entomology and master the fine art of fly-tying. In addition, Tyler developed skills through fly fishing that will serve him well throughout his life, such as the ability to organize information and see patterns, as well as the ability to persist in the pursuit of his goals and overcome obstacles. Tyler’s father exposed him to fly fishing at a very early age, and, luckily for Tyler, one of the first interest areas that he was exposed to was one that stuck. Most people need to be exposed to a wide variety of topics before they latch on to one that suits them.

It is important for adults to supplement kids' academic pursuits by introducing them to different types of music, dance, theater, film, sports, hobbies, and people. If a student's exposure to different experiences is limited, how can he be expected to develop an interest in something suited to his personality? Youngsters may eventually develop interests that are quite different from those enjoyed by the rest of the family and parents need to be prepared for this.

Once your young person does find a topic that she wants to pursue, support her interest by increasing exposure to that subject through books, extracurricular clubs, information on the Internet, supplemental classes, or perhaps summer camps. You may also want to introduce your student to mentors who have excelled in specific areas of interest.

Don’t be upset if your youngster seems passionate about one topic and then suddenly wants to move on to something else. This is a time for experimentation, and it may take a while to find a passion that sticks. Most of us find that our interests wax and wane at different periods of our lives.

The Positive and Negative Powers of Praise

Why is it that some children who are very smart lack confidence about their abilities in school? According to a recent article in New York Magazine titled How Not to Talk to Your Kids: The Inverse Power of Praise, a large percentage of gifted students severely underrate the importance of effort, and they overrate how much help they need from a parent.

The vast majority of parents think it’s important to tell their kids that they’re smart, but a growing body of evidence strongly suggests that labeling kids as “smart” may actually cause under-performance.

Carol Dweck, formerly from Columbia and now at Stanford, has spent the last 10 years studying the effect of praise on students in New York schools. She found that, when given a choice, students who were praised for their intelligence chose easier work so that they could still look smart; they didn’t want to risk making mistakes. Ninety percent of the children who were praised for their effort chose harder work.

In a subsequent round, when all students were given a very difficult task, there was also a difference between the two groups. Those who had been praised for effort got very involved and were willing to try all the solutions to the puzzles, many remarking that “This was my favorite test.” Those who had been praised for their intelligence had a different reaction. They found the test to be very stressful.

Dweck concluded that emphasizing effort gives a child something they can control.

In follow-up interviews, it was found that those who think that innate intelligence is the most important ingredient of success feel that they do not need to put out effort. Dweck found that this effect of praise held true for students of every socioeconomic class, and was especially true of the very brightest girls.

To be effective, researchers have found that praise needs to be both sincere and specific (i.e., I like how you keep trying, or you listened well to instructions, or you concentrated for a long time without taking a break, or your free throws during the basketball game were very good).

Students must have a strategy for handling failure. The lack of this strategy is compounded when a parent ignores a child’s failures and insists he’ll do better the next time. This may cause the child to believe that failure is so terrible that the family can’t acknowledge its existence. A child deprived of the opportunity to discuss mistakes can’t learn from them. Dweck wants students to believe that the way to bounce back from failure is to work harder. By developing this trait of persistence, students are able to sustain motivation through long periods of delayed gratification. If one is rewarded too much, they’ll learn to quit when those rewards disappear.

The Value of Persistence

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

Calvin Coolidge (1872 - 1933)

While it is wonderful to have ability, it does little good if it is not applied. Teachers blame parents for not instilling persistence in their children. Parents blame teachers for not encouraging their child’s intellect with challenging work. The question remains: is persistence a characteristic with which one is born, or is it a trait that is taught or encouraged?

In this age of instant gratification, it can be agonizing for individuals to develop persistence. Shortly after being given a task, even very capable students may approach an adult saying “I can’t do this,” or “It’s too hard.”

Students often jump to conclusions. The teacher asks a difficult question and hands are immediately raised. The students respond with the first answers that pop into their minds without being truly thoughtful with their replies. Being first and being right frequently take precedence over the consideration of different approaches to the posed problem.

Persistence is a key factor in the success not only of students, but of adults. Think of the long hours and effort that is required to be a successful entrepreneur or an inventor. This attribute of perseverance often begins in childhood.

Energy and persistence conquer all things.

Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

All students, even those who come from privileged backgrounds, need to be persistent to be successful. Unfortunately, some students come from difficult backgrounds where it is sheer persistence that enables them to succeed against the odds. It is the ability to persevere that helps lift a person out of a difficult socioeconomic condition, a dysfunctional family, an inadequate educational experience, or a personal tragedy.

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seems to be no hope at all.

Dale Carnegie

Things to consider when evaluating the persistence level of a student

• Does persistence appear to be natural in this student?
• How does this person respond when something becomes difficult?
• Are all attempts stopped at the first stumbling block?
• Is the student constantly asking for help rather than working on a task or problem alone?
• Does he not do part or all of homework assignments because he doesn’t understand a problem at first glance?
• Is it difficult for the student to stay focused for more than a few minutes?

Ways to encourage persistence

• Model persistence both through one’s own actions and by sharing stories about others who are persistent.
• Help the student develop a game plan for analyzing problems. When presented with a problem, how does one begin? What steps need to be taken? What information needs to be generated or collected?
• Help the student create a series of strategies for solving problems. If one doesn’t work, move to another. It is more helpful to learn three ways to solve one problem than one way to solve three problems.

Resources for examples of people who were persistent

• PeopleWho Overcame Difficult Odds 
• Perseverance  
• 7Entrepreneurs Whose Perseverance Will Inspire You