Anyonewhodoubtsthatchildrenarebornwithahealthyamountofambitionneedspendonlyafewminuteswithababyeagerlylearningtowalk.Nomatterhowmanytimesthelittleonesstumbleintheirfirstefforts,mostkeepontrying,determinedtomastertheiramazingnewskill.Itisonlyseveralyearslater,manypsychologistsandteachersagree,thatagoodnumberofkidsseemtolosetheirnaturaldrivetosucceed.Fortheparentsofsuchkids,whoseownambitionisoftentiedtotheirchildren’ssuccess,itcanbeapainfulexperience.

Figuringoutwhythefirewentoutisthefirststep.Assumingthatakiddoesn’tsufferfromalearningdisability,orisn’tinvolvedinsomefamilycrisis(危机)athome,manyeducatorsattributeasuddenlackofmotivationtoafearoffailureorclassmatepressure.“Everythingiswithinthekids’control;theirintelligenceischangeable,”saysLisaBlackwell,aresearchscientistatColumbiaUniversity.Morethananyteacherorworkshop,Blackwellsays,“parentscanplayakeyroleinconveyingthismessagetotheirchildrenbypraisingtheireffort,andprogressratherthanemphasizingtheir‘smartness’orpraisinghighperformancealone.Mostofall,parentsshouldlettheirkidsknowthatmistakesareapartoflearning.”

Someexpertssayoureducationsystem,withitsstrongemphasisontestingandseparationofstudentsintodifferentlevelsofability,alsobearsblameforthedisappearanceofdriveinsomekids.“Theseprogramsshutdownthemotivationofallkidswhoaren’tconsideredgiftedandtalented.Theydestroytheirconfidence,”saysJeffHoward,asocialpsychologist.Howardandothereducatorssayit’simportanttoexposekidstoaworldbeyondhomeworkandtests,throughvolunteerwork,sports,hobbiesandotherextracurriculumactivities.

“Theproblemoftheissueisthatmanystudentsexperienceeducationasirrelevanttotheirlifegoalsandambitions,”saysMichaelNakkual,aHarvardeducationprofessor.Thekeytogettingkidstoaimhigheratschoolistofreethemoftheideathatclassworkisirrelevant,toshowthemhowdoingwellatschoolcanactuallyhelpthemfulfilltheirdreamsbeyondit.Theyneedtounderstandthatyouhavetolearntowalkbeforeyoucanrun.

46．Accordingtothepassage,theparentsofkidswithnoambitio