For many years our district had a pull-out gifted program. Students were identified by their standardized test scores, IQ score, parent survey and teacher survey. And for many years, I was always amazed when the list was shared. Rarely was this amazement focused upon those that made the cut, but rather those students that did not, but I felt sure they should have been there. These were the students that did well academically, participated in class, served as role models to their peers, and "should" have been on the list. They were the hard workers, the ones that believed they could and were willing to work until they did. They had Grit.
I am not sure that it qualifies as a true "new learning", but when someone introduced me to Angela Lee Duckworth and her studies about Grit, I felt that someone had finally identified that elusive quality in many of my most successful students. She defines Grit as:
"Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint."
This, combined with Carol Dweck's Fixed vs. Growth Midsets research has changed my teaching and has made me take a deeper look at my students. Not only can I identify the students that have Grit and Growth, I can also begin to change the students that have fixed mindsets by sharing these studies and some ways to begin to move into a Growth mindset. I used to feel that either a student had that elusive "it" quality or did not. Now I work hard to show my students and their families that there is a way to grow. I don't instantly give my students what they need. Instead, I show them the path that if followed, they will figure it out. Got Grit? My students do.
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