The Twelve Days of Gheorghemas: Day 7

On the seventh day of Gheorghemas, Big Gheorghe gave to me:

Seven Traits for Winning
Six Facts O'Ghoogling
Five Lasting Images
Four Things to Think About
Three catastrophe 'staches
The Finest Holiday Duet in History
And One Hell of a bloggy Par-ty

If you have children, or if you just care about education, then I highly recommend Paul Tough's new book How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character. If you've been reading Sentence of Dave, then you've heard me tout this thesis before-- that in order to succeed in school and in life, IQ and SAT scores are less important than character traits such as resilience, persistence, and the ability to delay gratification . . . but obviously folks at the highest levels of education reform haven't been reading my blog, and so a greater and greater emphasis is being placed on test scores than ever before. This makes no sense, and Paul Tough provides scientific evidence and case studies to illustrate why, and then he provides some practical, politically neutral solutions. I don't want to get mired in the nation's educational problems when it's a so close to Gheorghemas, a time when the children across our land should forget about the looming standardized tests that will determine their future and instead enjoy the fruits of a unsustainable materialistic consumer economy, and so let me get to the heart of the matter.

Angela Duckworth, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote about the importance of "grit" as a key characteristic in success in school and beyond, and then two other prominent clinical psychologists, Christopher Peterson and Martin Seligman, drafted six other core traits that tend to be present in people with "life satisfaction" and "high achievement." Progressive schools are starting to experiment with curriculum that promote these character traits -- which can be improved --  and these schools are incorporating the teaching of these traits into traditional knowledge based learning.

In a groundbreaking and candid work of psychological sincerity, I will rate myself in each of these categories, using the Dungeons and Dragons character creation scale (3-18 . . . determined by rolling three six sided dice and adding the results, three being the lowest possible score and eighteen being the highest). And then, for the New Year, I resolve to improve each and every category with a rigorous regimen of character building exercises . . . or maybe not.

Grit: 12

Although I have read True Grit and seen both movie versions (and read everything else Charles Portis has ever written) I'm not sure if I rank especially high in this category. More often than not, I tend to start projects and not finish them, which is why I set the bar so low on Sentence of Dave. On the other hand, I have persevered in several areas in which it appeared that I had zero talent -- most notably the guitar and basketball. I was fairly horrible at both these things in college, but through hard-work and persistence, I have become a serviceable guitarist and a decent basketball player.

Self-Control: 6

This is why we can't keep Oreos in my house.

Zest: 14

If it's the right topic, I can be very passionate: soccer, beer-drinking, books, the guitar, my wife and children, evolutionary theory, the singularity, Saxondale . . . but my score isn't perfect because I have a hard time faking it. If it's not something I enjoy, my zest disintegrates like a Saltine in hot soup.

Social Intelligence: 5

My low score in this category has generated lots of great material for my blog. Luckily, I am aware of my deficit, so I can warn people ahead of time . . . and my awareness and self-reflection about this fault is is why I'm not a "3."

Gratitude: 14

I'm big on saying "please" and "thank you" and I've waited tables, which is a job that makes you appreciate just about everyone in the service industry-- so though I can be a bit cynical, I am still generally thankful for the privileged life that I lead (and sometimes I even feel a bit guilty for all my good fortune . . . but that's another essay).

Optimism: 12

I am neither a glass full or a glass empty person. I'm more of a "Can I have a plastic cup, because I'm afraid I'm going to break your glass" person. A stoic realist.

Curiosity: 16

I like to read about a lot of different shit. The only reason my score in this category isn't higher is because I don't like ballet or opera or volleyball. Otherwise, I'm pretty much open to learning about anything.

I encourage the G:TB staff and readers to rate themselves in these categories and post the results in the comments. The results will be kept strictly confidential and there will be no disputing the numbers -- this is simply a healthy exercise in self-reflection (but if T.J. puts more than a 5 for self-control, I'm going to drive down to Virginia and punch him in the testicles. Same goes for Clarence). Anyway, this is a safe space, so let's hear what you think of yourselves!