First off, I would like to begin by saying that I love the quote at the beginning of this chapter:

“Every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle, and a victory.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

How true is this! I would like to hang this saying in my house, read it daily and allow it to remind me that nothing worthwhile comes easy. This is true for parenting, teaching, learning-everything that I do and work towards. I also need my children to know this as well-especially my oldest- who is struggling with low self-confidence in many areas of his life right now-especially reading- because they are difficult.

I would love to meet Aubrey Steinbrink-her story is absolutely amazing! I want to read all of the books and poems on her lists, listen to the songs and watch the videos. I would like to add songs and books and video clips that she might want to try out-although maybe she already has! Aubrey’s story has inspired me to work on teaching my sons about the growth mindset in a more formal, yet fun way-through the stories and videos and songs. I am looking forward to reading, then watching Matilda once again!

Grit- “perseverance and passion for long-term goals”; deliberate practice that leads to success. I feel that many of our students seem to be lacking in the area of grit. They seem to struggle with the deliberate practice, the perseverance to make it through a challenging task. How do we help students develop grit? This book suggests introducing them to famous people through research will help them to see grit and how it leads to success. Another way is to teach them how to make learning goals-goals that focus on the overall learning of a skill leading to mastery and generalization to all learning and challenges.

In what ways will you teach your students about Grit?

What are some examples of learning goals you or your students have created/worked toward?

Do you have any stories, songs, poems or videos that you could add to Aubrey Steinbrink’s list?

Which famous person would you research to show your students about grit?