“That reminds me of me.” That was #2 son, after reading an article in the current issue of Scientific American Mind. The article was reporting on the studies that found that teaching students to feel that their success was based on effort was more encouraging than letting them think it was a matter of intelligence or talent. Students who think they are successful because they are smart, says researcher Carol Dweck, are more likely to give up and to feel helpless when they find something difficult. They are also more likely to do easy things to avoid difficulty.
I had heard of the research before, and hadn’t thought that it applied to my kids. Of course I think they are smart and talented. Beautiful, too. We all think that about our kids. But my kids have been brought up to value hard work, and they are all hardworking people. Local employers have hired one after another of my kids till their businesses were full of them, happy to have employees with the work ethic so elusive in the modern slacker generation.
After #2 son said that, though, it seemed possible. They work very hard — at things they are good at. This has allowed them to achieve excellence in some areas, but it may also explain why I currently have two college dropouts in the family. #2 son was referring specifically to the part about kids who find school very easy, and then have trouble when they reach high school and are expected to study. And we often hear about kids who are stars in high school and then are upset upon finding themselves no longer in the top when they get to college.
This does not apply to me at all, of course. Look at my experience with hand bells! And then, as I read the article while climbing hills on the treadmill, I thought about that. You do not hear me saying, “I will be able to learn to play bells if I make the effort. I like doing challenging things.” I mean, I do like challenging things. But what you hear with the bells is how I am the worst bell player in the world, and I don’t like it. I don’t give up, because I am The Slave of Duty. But I do seem to have the idea that there is a certain fixed level of talent involved.
I moved on to the article about boredom. It had an interesting review of early 20th century studies of boredom among factory workers. It then moved on to the elements of boredom: lack of stimulation, a need for novelty, and difficulty focussing attention. It discussed “existential ennui,” which was kind of fun to read about but clearly would not be enjoyable. Avoid it.
The conclusion was that some people are more easily bored than others. We are not astonished, right? I am one of those people, I thought. In psychometric terms, I am a squiggle or a zigzag. We squiggles (and this is every bit as scientific as astrology, so click on that link and try it out) require a high level of stimulation and variety in our work. I dislike repetitive tasks so much that I find them physically painful. I have, as one discussion of the topic phrased it, the attention span of a gnat.
So I took the little quiz in the magazine.
- It is easy for me to concentrate on my activities.*
- Frequently when I am working, I find myself worrying about other things.
- Time always seems to be passing slowly.
- I am often trapped in situation where I have to do meaningless things.
- I have projects in mind all the time.*
- I find it easy to entertain myself.*
- I get a kick out of most things I do.*
- I am seldom excited about my work.
- Much of the time I just sit around doing nothing.
- I often find myself with time on my hands.
- I often wake up with a new idea.*
- I feel that I am working below my abilities most of the time.
- I have so many interests, I don’t have time to do everything.*
If you say “no” to the starred statements and “yes” to the unstarred ones, you are easily bored. I am not, according to the test, easily bored. In fact, thinking of the kind of person who might be classed as easily bored by this test, I want to say, “Well, for heaven’s sake, quit whining and do something!”
Which is what moms always say to bored kids. That and, “Well, if you have nothing to do, you could clean your room.”
So are we looking, here, at a monumental lack of self-awareness?
I don’t know. I do know that I made an excellent soup yesterday. I had had another day full of interruptions, and was feeling as though I hadn’t gotten as far in my to-do list as I had hoped, and had my Wednesday marathon ahead of me (including those handbells, where we had yet another new piece of music)… I skipped the 5:00 meeting and made Tortellini Soup instead.
I don’t intend to get into the habit of skipping things, really I don’t, though I have done it an unaccustomed amount this week.
But the Tortellini Soup was a great idea.
Cook up some Italian sausage. Add onions and garlic. Then stir in a can of diced tomatoes and a cup of tomato sauce. Some red wine if you have any hanging around, which I did not. Your favorite Italian herbs come next — I use a really good Italian seasoning mix in the wintertime. Slice a carrot and a couple of zucchinis (I had to sequester the zukes and add them just to my bowl later, since my boys assured me that zucchini is gross and inedible). Once the vegetables are cooked the way you like them, add a cup or two of tortellini and cook till they are as cooked as you want them to be.
This will give you the fortitude to continue your day, whether you are doing hard things or boring things.
For one, it was shown in a study that American students struggling in math blamed the teacher yet said they were good at math. Conversely, Asian students in math classes said they were not good at math and did not struggle. It’s a matter of disconnected cause and effect due to the feel good method in schools. They don’t want to make anyone feel more or less important or able to do something, so we say “A for Effort” and leave it at that. So what happens is that we assume if our effort isn’t getting us an ‘A’, then it must be the teacher’s fault b/c “it’s always worked before.”
And about the boredom, I think it’s an issue of monumental lack of self-awareness. Or, perhaps, too much self-absorption. If you do nothing but dwell on your own problems all day, then yes you’d get really bored.
Obviously, I’ve thought a lot about the first issue. The second one, not so much. But I will!
when I was in elementary school I can remember being split apart in groups as early as 2nd grade for math & reading. all the high level readers together, average readers together, struggling readers together. same with math. kids moved up & down throughout the year, but I can not ever remember anyone ever using the term “A for effort” or any other silly nonsense we say to kids today. granted I was growing up in suburbia and the social & economic issues faced by today’s teachers weren’t what they are today. today the school is not only expected to teach the kids but somewhere along the way parents have the mistaken impression that the schools are supposed to coddle & nuture them also. parents should be parents & teachers should be teachers, if everyone did their “job” much of the issues facing our schools today would disappear. okay, done ranting now. thanks!
The soup looks awesome. I made chili in the crockpot last night – and a bit of cornbread. It was AWESOME!!! Nothing like warming one’s belly, eh?
I’m a circle! And I’m not easily bored, evidently.
I’m not sure if I have existential ennui. I think it might be plain old, garden variety depression.
I’m going to try that soup this weekend. Looks yummy.
No, I can’t say I ever get bored, never have. I don’t mind doing repetitive tasks for relaxation from more mind consuming tasks (fortunately experimental research alternates between wonderfully interesting and frustrating thinking and writing, and tedious data gathering so I get both for the price of one) Teaching I find frustrating (if I don’t have at least one student with a questing mind) but never boring.
RYC: I didn’t know your hubby is Buddhist. Where do the kids fall in the faith arena? They’ve got some good stuff to choose from with both folks. I am going to try a veggie version of this soup. Or perhaps I might add chicken. I’ll confer with the spouse. Regarding knitting blogs, I usually come to yours. I went to a few others, but they’ve to other sites and I refuse to go and visit.
I am going to post knitting every Tuesday – along with painting, if I do one the night before in class. I’m working on a wonderful pattern right now – it’s a pattern from Red Heart Soft Yarn. It’s looking mighty fine. It’s an olive turtle-neck tank top. I’m going to make it a mock turtle because I can stand the bulk around my neck. It’s kinda fun. Sorry Erin is giving you a fuss.
RYC: Yep . Also I believe in energy conservation (not the same as laziness mind
) and I think being bored takes more energy than being busyminded therfore I’m being good and green by being busyminded 
I think you just described my daughter! Son can keep himself busy for hours but I have to entertain my daughter with projects to do all day long!! Or she’ll get bored!!!!!!!
My gosh, that soup looks GREAT!!! Yumm!!!
That soup (a word which for a few moments there I temporarily forgot how to spell, thinking it might be “supe”) …. looks delicious. I might just have that for dinner myself, if I stop and do some grocery shopping.