Grit Trumps Talent and IQ: A Story Every Parent (and Educator) Should Read

according to one Stanford colleague, and a leading voice in the effort to translate into the classroom ideas like hers that self-control and grit, more than talent and IQ, may hold the keys to a better life.

This leads me to wonder, how harmful is active and passive discouragement to growing minds? To what extent are bad schools and subtle prejudices the causes of failure?