Grit and persistence

Persistence is a quality that is so important to possess not only in teaching but in life.  For me, persistence means to keep pursuing my personal beliefs, goals, and dreams even when life throws road blocks in my way.  Just as water finds a way to flow through and around whatever is in its way, I too need to find a way to pursue that which I perceive to be my beliefs, goals, and dreams.  I have moments in life when I have wanted to quit or shut the process down.  I usually end up moving forward and finding a way to make it happen.  Grit, which is another word for persistence, is a new word that is gaining ground in my life.  I had never heard about or thought about grit before a week ago.  Now, I am intrigued to think about how I live a life having grit and what that means for me.  By becoming more clear about grit, I can better wrap it into my teaching and provide key reminders to my students when they get stuck in a fixed mindset.  I can hardly wait to add "yet" to their phrases of doubt and negativity.  I always have challenged my students to be positive and strong but now I can add new words to their thinking.  My students, struggling readers, must have grit and persistence in order to keep working at something that is so difficult for them on a day to day basis.