Grit



The three pictures below feature a common experience. 

What do you think it is?




Tethered Boom O Rang

The Bottom Step

Ballroom Dance



Failure

All of these images represent failed attempts to accomplish a desired end.
The ribbon was intended to insure that the Boom O Rang came back. It didn't.
The bottom stair is where six crawling babies learned that they could fall.
This competitive ballroom dance team breaks the hearts of hopeful teens annually.


... and yet, these images also represent potential for achievement...



He caught it!

She did it!

They nailed it!



Every failed attempt is an opportunity to develop tenacity.
How many times will a child try? What strategies will she develop? 
Which muscles will be strengthened?


In her 2013 TED Talk, embedded below, Doctor Duckworth explains her research revealed that grit is more important than talent or intelligence.


“...grit grows as we ... learn to dust ourselves off after rejection and disappointment, and learn to tell the difference between low-level goals that should be abandoned quickly and higher-level goals that demand more tenacity."
Angela Duckworth, Ph.D.

Got Grit?
 Take this survey to find out:  Grit Score


If you need more grit, try these suggestions:  


To promote grit in your children and/or students, explore the link below.

Comments

  1. KiaraAugust 19, 2025 at 11:38 PM

    Robin,
    First of all, can I just compliment how aesthetically pleasing your blog is? I STRUGGLE with uploading photos, and here you are with a multimedia masterpiece. You truly know how to write in a way that draws in the reader, connects deeply, and finishes with profound encouragement. This post is a great call to action for us as educators to pursue grit alongside our students. After all, we shouldn't ask someone to follow us somewhere that we haven't been.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Robin WhitakerAugust 21, 2025 at 12:24 PM

    Kiara, first of all, thank you for reading this, lol! As you know, it's a wrestle to the finish for these posts and a bit anti-climactic that no one reads them. But thank you for your very kind and specific compliments. I appreciate this so much!

    ReplyDelete

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