Marshmallows

I hate marshmallows.  I was the kid at the campfires wondering if there was another choice.  In the 60’s, a whole bunch of kids at Mildred Merkley Elementary School brought this stuff called Marshmallow Fluff in place of the “J” in their “PBJ’s.”  Disgusting.  I would rather eat a bowling ball.  Why bring up marshmallows?  I just read the findings of a study conducted with four-year olds.  The kids were left in a room with a single marshmallow and the instructions that if they waited until the experimenter returned, they could have two marshmallows instead of one.  Are you kidding me?  Most of the kids ate the marshmallow!  A very, very small percentage waited until the researcher returned to claim their increased reward.  Shocker?  Not really…after all, it is a “microwave society”…but I digress. The outcomes of this study are significant because the kids were followed into adulthood.  The kids who ate the marshmallow right away were less likely to find success in their careers, their finances, and in personal relationships. The reverse was true for those who delayed their gratification for a larger reward.

Teachers must learn not to eat the first marshmallow.  Do not abdicate your role as the classroom leader by allowing personalities that feed on instant gratification to interfere with instructional practices.  As I have been teaching in Lunch & Learns”, students will rise to the level what level of questions that anticipate their teacher asking.  Challenge your students and create a rigorous education – one that assures future gratification in student growth.  It is easy to back down when you are seemingly out of energy, when it is easier to just give in, when that marshmallow looks really good and what does it matter anyway if we have some “free time”.  To promote self-control skills for your students requires that we do the same through our choices as the leaders of our classrooms.  Be purposeful.  Be intentional.  Be driven by what lies ahead.  Be driven by working toward some huge goals.  Don’t choose the first marshmallow now when you can many more later.