Week 7 Discussion 2 – The Cult of Success

After completing this week’s Readings and Resources, review the section “The Cult of Success.”

One of the best readings in this chapter is titled, “The Cult of Success.” First of all, the title grabs one’s attention. The text says “If we try to exclude failure, we deny much of existence…” Many of you have probably read the book, “NurtureShock – New Thinking About Children” by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. If you have not, it may be one that you will want to check out. The first chapter is about “The Inverse Power of Praise.” The author’s premise is that we have praised children so much that it is becoming detrimental in that they don’t want to try new things because of their fear of being unsuccessful. The author suggests that our constant praise could be working against our students.

The text states that “Our failures may count among our greatest assets; they show us the outlines of who we are.”

• How will you, as a principal, teach your staff and students that we need to learn from our mistakes to improve our performance?
• How can we redefine our ideas about success?
• Your text asks this question: “How have you been affected by rankings and ratings in your estimation of success?
• How have these experiences influenced your assessment of success?

Your initial response is due by 11:55 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday and should be between 200-250 words. The initial posting should be a statement of your point of view on the question, supported by the required readings.