Persistence

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2013/09/18/lessons-in-perseverance/?utm_source=Teaching+Channel+Newsletter&utm_campaign=89db8a843c-Newsletter_September_21_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_23c3feb22a-89db8a843c-291647637

 Persistence is a powerful tool that each teacher must have. Every teacher has had several students who require multiple strategies for success. The above blog entry helps me reflect on the situations and students who required a large amount of persistence and grit!

• Teaching students who have a lot of persistence can be very challenging. These students are very bright and push all conversations and situations forward. I am awed by their drive to learn new things and their energy. Pushing and providing these students with the curriculum they need is a passion of mine. I am intrigued by their strong will. On the flip side, these are same students who NEVER GIVE UP! They often feel that they are right and sometimes have a hard time listening and following classroom routines. These types of students have pushed me to become a better teacher. They keep you on your feet and are constantly expecting you to find strategies that work.
• I do feel that kids are born with a certain amount of persistence. My oldest son came out strong willed. We named him Will, so I guess we had it coming. He has challenged me almost every day for the past five years! He is so persistent and will not forget or pass any opportunity. Although I am frustrated most days, he is one of the most interesting kids that I have ever met. He makes unbelievable connections to real life situations and provides us with deep conversations. I hope that he uses awesome GRIT to his advantage in the future.
• I do feel that kids should be taught persistence. I think that we are all born with different levels, but teaching the importance of pushing towards your goals is important. Kids should know that making mistakes is a part of life and that we learn from those mistakes. We must model persistence in our classrooms daily. We should allow them to see our failures and to see how we don't give up. They need to also feel that we will not give up on them. We should be a constant cheerleader for our students. They need to know that we are always cheering them on.