Wong 1

Ok, There's some pretty motivational stuff so far. I like his advice that I should remain an active learner always participating in things that will continue to push me to become better at my craft. I also find his advice about latching on to positive people who don't complain and moan about their job helpful because they are the one's that will make me a better teacher rather than the other people who are always critical of change and always complain about their job.

I also appreciate the advice he gives that we should only implement research-based teaching practices and theories rather than just latching on to fads or even conventions that have to proven success.

However, I don't agree with his statement that, "There is absolutely no research correlation between success and family background, race, national origin, financial status, or even educational accomplishments. There is but one correlation with success, and that is ATTITUDE." This is bogus for two reasons. 1) It doesn't take me very long to find critically reviewed research that shows correlations with many of those variables he states and student success. There may not be a causal relation between those variables and success but there are definitely corollary relationships between those variables and student success (and failure for that matter). 2) Wong goes to great lengths to talk about success, but never gives a definition to this very subjective but key term therefore making his thesis seemingly inarguable but also unprovable. I get tired of these arguments constructed to win only because they manipulate semantics rather than using real, tested theories to make their point. Motivational speakers are often the worst culprits of this and I feel that this book branches from that family of snake-oil communicators.

Does this mean that certain attitudes don't correlate with or even possibly cause success? No, but Wong's argument tries to ignore the fact that things like family background, or ethnic culture, or financial status, etc. mold and shape various attitudes that result in various successes and failures among students. A teacher cannot ignore the affects these influences on his or her students' attitudes without forfeiting his or her effectiveness.