Getting Gritty

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."  Galatians 6:9

On our Professional Development Day, I watched a video of Angela Duckworth's TED talk on "grit.". I'd watched this video several times in the past, but it was a good reminder to stay focused and persevere.  If you haven't seen the video, it's worth watching.  Angela Duckworth is a psychologist who studied the factors that lead to success.  She studied the most successful individuals in various challenging settings, and she discovered that the most common predictor of success was not IQ, social intelligence, good looks, or health. It was "grit," passion and perseverance to reach long term goals. The people who were most successful were the ones who worked hard and didn't give up. 

Here's a link to a short version of the talk:

Angela Duckworth TED talk

Watching this inspires me to keep going and to encourage the kids to keep trying.  It reminds me that I can't accept statements like, "This is too hard."  "I'm too tired." "I don't feel like doing that."  I want my students to know that it's okay, even essential, to sometimes make mistakes, and that we don't quit when we make a mistake. We try again. This is true in all aspects of our lives: in education, in athletics, in artistic endeavors, in our careers, in our relationships, and in our spiritual lives.

Here are some pictures of our gritty students, hard at work measuring, sorting, reading, writing, listening, and working together. 

 When I get discouraged, I remind myself of the progress we've made. It motivates me to see how far these kids have come since August. Most of the kids weren't reading at all, and they barely had any concept of where to write on the lines of the page. Now they're reading, writing, and demonstrating other important skills-- like cooperation and completing work on time. That's cause for celebration!

We do a lot of celebrating in Early Childhood. Sometimes we even march down the hall with the jazz band!

    Here's a word of encouragement for you moms and dads who are also working hard to parent these precious little ones that God has entrusted to your care:

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of he Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."  II Corinthians 15:58.