A Challenge to Students to Persevere
Mrs. Mann's recent topic with 4th and 5th graders is perseverance and grit. We read a book called Iggy Peck Architect by Andrea Beaty. In this book, young Iggy is passionate about building and creating, only to have his passion squashed. An unfortunate event calls for him to get creative and build a bridge to save the same teacher that squashed his passion. The story ends with Iggy speaking to young students about architecture and becoming a master builder. We also watched the TED talk called The Mindset of a Champion. Fifth grade speaker Carson Byblow challenges students to persevere and work through even the most difficult trials. We discussed the importance of working hard to become better at something. Giving up is never an option!
Educational blogger, Mindy Thierolf describes the power of the word ‘yet’ perfectly.
"In a world depleted of hope; in a world of wanting what we want, when we want; it expresses our required patience and belief in one’s self or another person’s abilities to realize that some things are worth waiting for and those things take work, time and don’t always come in the form of anything that could be remotely easy. It’s not counting someone’s socioeconomic status as an excuse for success or failure; it’s a “You can do it!” attitude. It’s a type of “hope” that we have, and it’s not easy, but if you really think about it, it is exactly the process that allows for success; the power of YET" (Thierolf, para.1).
Watch The Mindset of a Champion here.
Resources:
Byblow, Carson. The Mindset of a Champion | Carson Byblow | TEDxYouth@AASSofia. The Mindset of a Champion , TEDx Talks, www.youtube.com/watch?v=px9CzSZsa0Y&t=38s.
Thierolf, Mindy, and . “Growth Mindset: The Power of ‘Yet.’” The Educators Room, 21 June 2017, theeducatorsroom.com/growth-mindset/.