Can Persistence Be Taught?
I remember when I was about nine years old and picked up my first baseball. My dad bought me my first glove took me into the backyard and proceeded to teach me how to play baseball. We started off with the basic game of catch. Numerous throws and I couldn’t catch any of them. I remember feeling horrible, like I would never get it. I kept asking my dad to go inside but he would tell me “No, we’re going to stay outside even if it takes all night. You’re going to do this, you’re going to get this.” It wasn’t until what felt like the 100th time that I actually caught one! The excitement and joy I felt in that moment was remarkable. After so many failed attempts and begging my dad to go inside, I did it. If it wasn’t for my dad telling me not to give up, to keep trying, that I will get it, I would’ve gave up after the 15th try.
An article called ” Persistence is learn from fathers, says study” states that fathers with more authoritive parenting ( parents that are not as controlling and allow children to make their own decisions based on their own reasoning) produced children who were more likely to develop persistence. Paul Miller, associate professor of Psychology at Arizona State University states ” When held accountable in a supportive way, mistakes do not become a mark against their self-esteem, but a source for learning what to do differently.” (qtd in Conley) This brings me to my niece (5) and nephew (9). There has been many times where I have watched them get down on themselves over a bad grade, especially my niece who has trouble learning. Instead of joining in and talking down to her as she cries over how she’ll never get it someone is always there to support her. Whether it be her mom, my mom or myself there is always someone there encouraging her not to give up. This is something I have saw to be productive. Instead of slamming her and telling her that she’s right that she won’t get it, we support her. We encourage her to try harder or help her find a different way to understand what she’s trying to learn. This really helps her and she usually doesn’t have a problem once she gets in the mode to persist and try again.
In a student’s essay called ” Tough Times” he talks about the struggle his parents had faced money wise. He then talks about how they worked so hard to always be able to put money aside in case of an emergency. When it came time for him to get his own job he learned hard work does pay off. He had broken his ankle and all the money he saved (which he learned from his parents to be persistent about) was more than enough to cover all his bills for the two months he was unable to work. His parents’ continuous effort to put money away despite the difficulty rubbed off on him and he was able to do the same.
Also, found on another student’s blog, Michael, his essay was entitled ” My Persistent Drive To The Top”. He explains how his junior year of high school he broke his fibula, tibia and fractured his growth plate in his left ankle during a rivalry basketball game. He was told by doctors that he would not be ready to participate in any fall sports that following school year because his ankle wouldn’t be strong enough even after six months of physical therapy. Michael was determined to play and be just as good if not better than before. He started going to the gym along with physical therapy and that fall he was MIAA Golfer of the year. When basketball season came around he had a higher points per game, assists per game and rebounds per game compared to the season before. Michael states ” Being persistent is one thing I learned from my mother. She was a single mother raising 3 boys and working 60-hour weeks”. He then goes on to say “She is truly an inspiration to me and showed me that being persistent with your goals and what you want can be obtained.” Michael learned his persistence from his mother’s constant devotion to provide for her three boys. Perhaps his mother had not been a single mom he may not have learned this persistence from her.
Experts define grit as persistence, determination and resilience as said in an article titles ” Does Teaching Kids To Get ‘Gritty’ Help Them Get Ahead?” The Lenox Academy for Gifted Middle School Students in Brooklyn N.Y. has been trying to get their kids to be grittier over the years. Recently students were studying Steve Jobs and were asked to give examples of how Jobs showed grit. One student states “He had failed one of the Mac Projects he was creating.” (qtd in Smith) Another student further explains ” He used his mistakes to help him along his journey.” (qtd in Smith) With not just showing kids how other people have used grit to be better, teachers allow children to experience grit themselves. When students struggle to answer a question, their teachers let them squirm through the silence rather than throwing hints at them. Tom Hoerr lead the New City School in St. Louis that has also been working on grit and says ” If our kids have graduated from here with nothing but success, then we have failed them, because they haven’t learned how to respond to frustration and failure.” (qtd in smith)
As most children follow by example, I believe persistence can be taught if done appropriately. Encouraging children to never give up and to push forward no matter how tough it gets, listening to them rather than bashing them and allowing them to get a taste of struggle are all ways children can be taught persistence. The more persistent children we create will hopefully result in a better future for generations to come.
Work Cited
CFarias23. “Tough Times.” English 101. edublogs., 22 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Conley, Mikaela. “Persistence Is Learned from Fathers, Says Study.” ABC News. ABC News Network, 15 June 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
mseddon12. “My Persistent Drive to the Top.” Michael. edublogs, 03 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.
Smith, Tovia. “Does Teaching Kids To Get ‘Gritty’ Help Them Get Ahead?” NPR. NPR, 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.