In Samuel Beckett's 'The Winning Edge:' The Success Of Work?

“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it (James Bryce). If measured by the rule of the quote, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow has tremendous worth. Randy Pausch, a professor dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” at Carnegie Mellon in 2007. In the book, he reflects upon the lessons of his life experiences mentioned in the lecture. The lessons addressed ways to lead a fulfilled life. At first, his experiences seemed to be entertaining stories from his past, but as he progressed through each chapter, I began to realize the mentoring quality of the stories. From the lessons, I carried away invaluable advice. While it would be difficult to visit and elaborate upon every lesson, there were three that were most memorable to me: the importance of obstacles in our life, how honesty is a better character builder than false praise, and the uselessness of complaining.

The purpose of education is to prepare students for their futures with both knowledge as well as fundamental life skills. I believe students are highly capable beings who have a desire to be productively challenged. To empower students to meet and exceed high expectations set forth by the state, school, or teacher, it is imperative that educators “teach for enduring understanding through partnerships and by drawing on brain-based education, students ' multiple intelligences, and culturally appropriate curriculum innovations” (Laster and Johnson). Beyond guaranteeing students can read, write, and perform basic math functions, we should be producing graduates who are responsible individuals positively contributing to society, reliable workers, and devoted family members. Whether students receive a scholarship to attend college or go to work immediately following graduation, we must train them to conduct themselves with integrity, have an admirable work ethic, and solve challenging problems they may face throughout their lives.

In “How Not to Get into College”, Kohn states that all decisions and goals made by students are based on extrinsic motivators, and that they are essentially controlling them. He tells the students in a sarcastic tone to “let grades control your life. All decisions about how to spend your time and plan your academic schedule should be arrived at with grades in mind” (para 2). Kohn discusses the problem that students are facing with their early lives and education: they allow extrinsic motivations such as grades to rule their lives, and make decisions that benefit them extrinsically rather than intrinsically. This which creates an issue as they lose the inner motivation to strive for the top. Furthermore, in “Somnambulist”, Jones discusses how people are continuously exhausting themselves by making decisions that are based off extrinsic motivators. He writes that individuals are “exhausting [their] skills but not to worry cause’ every two weeks [they] get a cut of government regulated and filtered income” (lines 17-18). Jones argues that individuals within society are continuously exhausting their valuable skills, as well as themselves on a daily basis as they work towards

While reading “Becoming a Learner” by Matthew L. Sanders, I found many interesting points on college education that I have never really focused on. One of my favorite statements that Sanders makes is that “who you are still matters more than what you can do because it speaks to your long term potential for success.” I thought this was very interesting and inspiring because it is encouraging the reader to focus on developing themselves rather than some impractical skills. I also thought it was really cool when Sanders made the point that “it’s not only what you do that counts; it’s also how you do it.” I thought that this quote is relatable on so many different levels, especially in the aspect of college. Sometimes you can take the easy way

While being responsible for our academic success, prioritizing work to achieve goals can be valuable to students without a success driven mindset. Responsibility and action along with ethics help set the path for proper results and set standards for academic achievement. As I explore this new endeavor in my life, I will outline my failures, successes and the lessons I have learned along the way.

Throughout Grit, Angela Duckworth argues that grit is the single most important factor in determining success of an individual. She splits the argument into three parts: the concept of grit and why it matters, the proper use and understanding of the goal hierarchy, and how an individual can develop grit. Duckworth’s argument is important because it replaces the traditional viewpoint of success being determined by talent to one which sees success as a result of passion and perseverance.

the expectation that the means to achieve goals is to work harder than others.” (McGraw−Hill,

In the book And Still We Rise By MIles Corwin, we hear the stories of students childhood and upbringing. We also hear about their aspirations for the future but each of them seem to have extensive barriers that try to stunt their growth. Throughout the book we see how it’s not how someone is brought up that dictates who they are, but it’s that person’s perseverance that makes them who they are.

Throughout America, the educational infrastructure continues to under-prepare students for future positions that require highly trained individuals to complete necessary tasks. In Daniel Bruno's “Entitlement Education”, he states, “It is not that his boss puts her foot down; instead, the job does. Our student finds himself not well prepared for it. He gets cheated because he is disadvantaged at his job---a job that he paid money to learn how to do” (252). Bruno also discusses in the essay on how motivated students are not fully prepared because the educational institute is attempting to cater to the un-driven ones. What Bruno covers in “Entitlement Education” is the staggering truth behind America's educational system. There are astonishing amounts of people at jobs who simply cannot perform their jobs to the necessary specifications. Its not necessarily that the

NprEd stated that, “research shows that at least half of long-term chances of success are determined by nonacademic qualities like grit, perseverance and

Most people subscribe to the belief that Paul Tough refers to the cognitive hypothesis that suggests that success depends primarily on cognitive skills. They argue that intelligence is measured based on IQ tests which include the ability to recognize letters, words, detect patterns, and calculate. They say that the simplest way to acquire and develop skills is through practicing them continuously. Children should also begin practicing as early as possible to nurture skills. However, in the book titled “How Children Succeed,” Tough introduces the character hypothesis which explains that non–cognitive skills such as self-control, curiosity, self-confidence, conscientiousness, and grit are crucial to achieving success than sheer brainpower or cognitive skills (Tough 49). To justify his argument, he uses research findings from psychologists and neuroscientists. They say that character is developed by encountering with failure and overcoming it. The hidden power of character explains why some children perform well while others fail. However, I say that linking grit and character is pervasive and unfair to kids from poor backgrounds; particularly when the author states that academic proficiency is not a determinant of future success. The big point on Tough’s main arguments is that children succeed with character and not test scores.

For example, Angela Lee Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania, who had been conducting innovative studies (for the past 11 years) on "Grit," the quality that allows people to work uncompromisingly and stick to their passions and long-term goals. We learn that in her interview with "Educational Leadership," [ Duckworth describes what her research has shown about the relationship between "Grit" and achievement. on the importance of helping students develop grit and other non-cognitive traits.(1)] I believe that when we incorporate teaching students how to develop traits like having “grit” in our public schools, eventually our citizens as a whole will become more prosperous in all areas of life.

The key point of Beyond Measure by Vicki Abeles is rescuing an overscheduled, over-tested and underestimated generation. After arguing the definition of success in American education system, the author comes up with several ideas on how to revolutionize learning, prioritize children’s health and re-envision success for a lifetime. She believes that high grades, high test scores and admission to one of the nation’s elite colleges should not be the symbols excellence and successful parenting. Currently, the education system are pressuring the children to perform in ways that make them less intellectually flexible, creative, and responsive to today’s world and at the same time, damaging their mental and physical health. Thus, the author suggests

Grit: “Perseverance and passion for long-term goals” (p. 207). What have you done to infuse perseverance in your people? What will you do in the future?

Growing up, children are often told the common phrase, “If at first, you don't succeed try, try, again…” (W.C. Fields). This is used to teach children to never give up, a way to ensure that they can triumph over adversity and grow upon their grit. Although, people usually forget the second part of that quote, “…Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.” (W.C. Fields). The second half of the quote is a full contrast to the first half, this is telling children to give up and just stop trying. Those who give up are often thought of having no grit. Some wonder if grit is necessary for society, to be more specific if grit is something that should be taught in school, I feel that it should not. Students switch interests so often that it is hard for them to stick with the same interests as time passes. When a student is enthused about a subject, I see grit as a way for one to express their interests. When one’s passion is put to the test and it feels like there is no progress or no more enjoyment left in that passion is when true grit is shown. Those who support the idea of grit, like Angela Duckworth, believe that grit is a big factor in how one succeeds.