What happens if we delay happiness? (Or, how to get students to problem solve persistently)
Hi all,
We have a problem, in our society, about delay of gratification. We want the answer now, the money now (just think of that commercial - it's MY MONEY AND I Want it NOW!), the degree now, the new job now, the new relationship . . . the list is endless.
The unfortunate side effect of this culture is that it creates people who want to just be rich and skip all the steps in between. So we sue one another, we screw one another, we do anything we can to get ahead. One of my friends is this way. Let's call him Peter. Peter has a construction business, a recording business, and he makes sure everyone sees him spending lots of cash on his workers. People work for him, and he'll tell anyone who will listen how much money he has. He wouldn't care too much about a degree because he's learned he doesn't need one.
Peter is just an example of a more systemic problem. Our students, especially in math and science, have stopped being persistent. They want the answer now, and if the teacher doesn't immediately provide it, they get grumpy. They want steps and then the answer. The trouble with this thinking, however, is that life isn't like that. You don't just show up at a job and demand the highest salary, and the right way to do the work. You don't quit if you don't immediately succeed. But a lot of millenials do. They want meaning and loyalty. They want immediacy. But they don't have the mental toughness they require because they've always gotten what they want right away. Their entitlement robs them of persistence.
We have a problem, in our society, about delay of gratification. We want the answer now, the money now (just think of that commercial - it's MY MONEY AND I Want it NOW!), the degree now, the new job now, the new relationship . . . the list is endless.
The unfortunate side effect of this culture is that it creates people who want to just be rich and skip all the steps in between. So we sue one another, we screw one another, we do anything we can to get ahead. One of my friends is this way. Let's call him Peter. Peter has a construction business, a recording business, and he makes sure everyone sees him spending lots of cash on his workers. People work for him, and he'll tell anyone who will listen how much money he has. He wouldn't care too much about a degree because he's learned he doesn't need one.
Peter is just an example of a more systemic problem. Our students, especially in math and science, have stopped being persistent. They want the answer now, and if the teacher doesn't immediately provide it, they get grumpy. They want steps and then the answer. The trouble with this thinking, however, is that life isn't like that. You don't just show up at a job and demand the highest salary, and the right way to do the work. You don't quit if you don't immediately succeed. But a lot of millenials do. They want meaning and loyalty. They want immediacy. But they don't have the mental toughness they require because they've always gotten what they want right away. Their entitlement robs them of persistence.
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