Fred Storti, executive director of the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association, explains that last winter he invited David Walsh, author of the recently published NO: Why Kids–of All Ages–Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It, to speak at his association’s convention of elementary school principals.

He said that Walsh, president of the National Institute on Media and the Family in Minneapolis, contends that kids today are living in a culture that promotes “more, fast, easy and fun,” and the result is that kids are lacking important qualities - perseverance, patience, self-discipline, self-reliance - that are vital for success…

Walsh’s message hit such a strong chord among the principals that they decided to conduct a statewide campaign, which they are calling, “Minnesota: Say Yes to No.” …

What makes his message resonate for parents and teachers, Walsh said, is that research has shown that self-discipline is actually a stronger predictor of school success than intelligence. “I think schools are really kind of at a crisis point,” said Walsh. “They are held to be accountable for content under `No Child Left Behind,” but they are spending more and more of their time dealing with student behavior.”

Walsh said attention has to be paid to “the skills of self-management that kids bring into the classroom in the first place.” …

Source: The Hartford Courant
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