Why is America so obsessed with making sure we instil grit in out kids today? Dr. Paige Gray joins the Matt Townsend Show to illustrate why we want to make sure our kids our tough:
“As someone who specializes in children’s literature and cultural attitudes toward childhood, I’ve been interested in this insistence on fostering grit. I’ve also taught writing and literature over the past year to West Point cadets, who, it seems, must learn how to acquire this somewhat elusive quality. But I can’t help but wonder if we’re talking about grit in an unproductive way. And maybe one of the problems is that it’s presented as a concept: abstract, indeterminate and somewhat magical or mysterious.How can we define grit, or the idea behind it, in a way that means something? What if we’re not framing the discussion of grit in the right way, since grit can mean something entirely different for a kid living in the Chicago’s South Side than it does for a kid living in the suburbs?” -Dr. Paige Gray
Listen to the rest of the podcast: http://tinyurl.com/hqtz8dc
Matt talks with Dr. Paige Gray, who is currently teach media and literature at Fort Lewis College and advising the student publication. Her research considers the intersection between children’s literature and journalism. She’s a published journalist and academic with a forthcoming article in Children’s Literature Association Quarterly. She also has articles in Children’s Literature and Bookbird. America is built upon the achievements of those who had true grit. But Children’s Literature expert Paige Gray warns that America’s near obsession with grit might have some potential pitfalls. Dr. Gray discusses her article “What’s behind America’s insistence on instilling grit in kids?”
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