GRIT

Dr. Angela Duckworth has done a lot of research that shows there is a high correlation between GRIT and future success in school and work.  If one of the purposes of school is for us to make students successful than we should really spend time focusing on how to make them more gritty.

Recently, after giving a test, I had many students who came to me to tell me that they have never scored that low on any test in their four years of high school.  Most of them however, were not excited about the challenge but threatened by it.  The summer assignment in which we watched a video of mindset, was quickly forgotten, and instead of looking at this as an opportunity to learn they just went into the mode of economics is too hard for me.

True learning is a struggle, often frustrating and many times boring.  When you find someone who excels at anything they have struggled at times, been frustrated and probably been bored with the field that they now excel.  We often see the end product and do not see the work that has went on behind the scenes.  With athletes we are not privy to the practices that force them to turn weaknesses into strengths, with students we do not see how many books they have read, problems that they have solved, places that they have visited, hours that they have studied,  to get to the point where school seems easy.

Our system is not set up to help students get gritty.  Many seniors are worried about their GPA's as they are thinking about the college process.  Others are worried about parental pressure and then some are worried about what their peers will think of them.  All of these lead to students becoming defensive about academic struggles instead of embracing them.  Truthfully, what better time to struggle than in high school, where you still get teacher support, and parental support.  When you go to college you are most often struggling on your own.  I realize that students are struggling on their own since many e-mail me with questions instead of their own professors.

I know in previous years I have kids who have struggled in AP economics at the start.  Last year many of them wrote me during the summer telling me how proud they were about their scores.  While they admitted that they often doubted themselves they now went into college with a greater confidence in both their academic ability and their ability to preserver.

As educators, parents and students, we need to teach students to embrace challenges, not penalize them for it.  They need to realize that the grade is not as important as learning to overcome the frustration.  That colleges do not make their decisions on one grade, but want students who show an ability to overcome adversity.  Colleges often ask teachers to respond to this on the recommendation letter.

It is tough being gritty, staying on the treadmill is a hard thing to do.  The fact that you thought for a second to quit, that I never will be good at this, is natural.  As teachers, parents and friends we need to support our students so that they realize that we will help them stay on the treadmill.

Thoughts and comments are always appreciated.