The gentle October days we've been having in New England may prompt children to settle at the foot of a golden-leafed tree with a good book. Wait... that reminds me of something. But as we move into the second month of school, kids are also summoning up the will to work! In October the Core Virtues program spotlights virtues that are key to academic success: diligence, perseverance and self-control. Our literary recommendations bring those to life (Virtue of the Month) and our heroes and heroines this month are exemplars of those hard-working traits (June Almeida, geologists at White Sands). It's also great to see that ongoing work in the field of psychology affirms the value of hard work (perseverance and effort). Read on.... | |
Who knew there was a "discoverer of the corona virus"? Her name is June Almeida, and in 1964, the hard-working Scottish virologist peered through her electron microscope and zeroed in on something new. June's life story is a remarkable one. She loved science and school, but her parents lacked the funds to send her to college. Undeterred, June secured a job as lab technician, and over the next two decades, her inquiring mind and perseverance did the rest. Check out her amazing biography in our "October Heroes" section. | |
University of Pennsylvania's Angela Duckworth, Ph.D. has been doing pioneering work on "grit" for years. The psychologist/researcher has made a life's work of understanding the combination of passion and perseverance that spells success. Her findings: hard work is usually more important than talent in securing success. We've cited her 2016 book Grit in our October section before, but watch her 2020 Lavin Talk exploring this topic. Another great You Tube summary of Angela's work can be found here: Grit (The Science of Hard Work) | |
Telling Our Stories - Gritty Guys | |
British geologist Michael Bennett and White Sands Park Director David Bustos have been working for more than a decade on early human settlement in the Americas. When did the first humans get here? Their work at the White Sands, New Mexico site recently yielded some astonishing discoveries and we tell their story in Telling Our Stories. | |
