Learning Development Services

In the book, On Playing a Poor Hand Well, published by W.W. Norton and Company, Mark Katz explored two questions. First, why is that so many people who were exposed to multiple risks and adversities in their childhood years never developed the problems some might have anticipated, and have gone on to lead meaningful and productive lives? And question number two, why is it that so many people who succumbed to those same risks and adversities in their childhood years—struggling for years with different kinds of behavioral, learning and life adjustment problems—staged a complete turnabout years later, and today are also leading meaningful and productive lives?

In more recent years, Mark has spent much less time on the first question, and much more time on the second. And in particular, the question, why is it that so many children who fail in school later go on to succeed in life?

Here’s where we need your help. We’re wanting to learn more about the turning point experiences, and second, third and fourth chance opportunities of people who struggled throughout their school lives, but who today feel their lives and meaningful and productive.

If you feel this describes the course of your life, you can help us out by participating in our project. To participate, simply respond to the questions below.

1. Thinking back to your years in school, what areas were the most difficult for you? Please include any and all areas you can think of.

2. During your years in school, were there any memorable moments, events, or experiences that to this day, stand out as particularly difficult or painful? If so, please describe them.

3. During your years in school, were there any memorable moments, events, or experiences that to this day, stand out as particularly rewarding, enjoyable or helpful? If so, please describe them.

4. During the years you were struggling in school, were you feeling successful in other areas of life? Athletics? Music? Art? An after school job? Special responsibilities at home? Other activities, hobbies, or responsibilities?

5. Can you draw any parallels between these previous sources of success and current sources of success in your life today?

6. Tell us about how you got along with other kids at school. Were you popular? Unpopular? Teased or bullied? Did you tease or bully others?

7. Tell us about the friends you had in school. Do you remember having any real close friends?

8. Were you ever in any serious trouble with the law? If so, what type of trouble was it?

9. Did you experience any serious problems in areas other than school? If so, what were they? And how did you deal with them?

10. Looking back, what changes would have had to occur for you to have been successful in school?

11. Imagine having a magic wand that allowed you to change the school system in any way you wanted. Based upon your own personal experiences, what changes would you make?

12. What have you learned about yourself since those difficult years in school?

13. What do you see as important sources of resilience in your life?

14. Were there specific turning point experiences or second chance opportunities that help explain how or why your life changed for the better?

15. Still on the matter of turning point experiences or second chance opportunities, are they related to specific people in your life? People who make you feel grateful that they were or continue to be a part of your life?

16. Tell us about your job or career. How are you doing at work? Describe for us as specifically as you can the difference between how you’re doing at work now versus how you did in school in the past.

17. If there’s a dramatic difference between how you’re doing at work today versus how you did in school years ago, what do you attribute the dramatic difference to?

18. Here’s a really broad question. Try to answer it as best you can. What contribution do you feel you currently make to the lives of other people in particular, and to the world in general?

19. Still on the same question, is this different than how you would have answered the question during those earlier years in school? If so, how?

20. Knowing what you know today, what would you tell school age children and teenagers now going through what you went through when you were their age?

21. Knowing what you know today, what would you tell other people your own age or in your own line of work who speak of similar school experiences years back, but who haven’t been as fortunate as you have been?

22. A lot of people who have past through our center over the years have struggled with this one question ever since they were young children. Why, they wonder, can they be so productive when it comes to doing difficult and challenging things yet so unproductive when it comes to doing things that others find so simple? Do you feel this describes you?

23. Do you have a child struggling in school much like you did years ago?

24. If so, do you find that your child is also very productive when it comes to doing difficult and challenging things but unproductive at things that seem so much simpler? What are some examples?

25. Are there any questions you think we have left out and that we should add? Please, let us know.

26. Any other comments you would like to offer?

Thanks for taking the time to help us out. We’re also having people stop by Learning Development Services to participate in more in depth interviews. Are you interested? If so, please provide us with your e-mail address or telephone number so that we can contact you. We’re collecting a list of volunteers from a variety of different sources, and plan to choose people from this list. If you wish to participate, and your name is chosen, we’ll be contacting you in the near future.

My name is:

You can reach me at the following e-mail address:

You can reach me at the following telephone number:

Thank you for your participation.

Resilience Through the Life Span Project