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Portrait of a Hero |
Developing a Hero
In a study done in Cambridge, Massachusetts a preschool classroom was turned into a study on heroism. The teacher leaves the classroom and a few moments later a loud crash is heard, then a child's cry coming from the preschool classroom next door. About half of the time, at least one of the 5 year olds jumped up and ran next door to assist the injured child. The study was also done with second graders and a shocking 90% ran next door, this percentage dwindles as the children get older. Only 40% of fourth graders ran next door and only 30% of sixth graders.
Why does this statistic diminish as the children get older? Staub states "society and parents often quash it (heroism) by enforcing simplistic rules about obedience and failing to encourage kids to keep helping" *
How can we keep our children on the road to being the one who will pull over to help a stranger at the scene of an accident, or the one who is rushing into the burning building to save a neighbor? What makes these people different from those of us who would not do the same? This summary of Staub's research shows that a few commonalities occur within the homes and the parenting skills of those children with more heroic tendencies.
*Research found from http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/heroes/raise.html
