Grit

[Capt MJ]

I am posting this thought-provoking TED talk here because I firmly believe the intangible quality of grit is essential to success in the military, regardless of commissioning path, officer or enlisted status, or service. It is that willingness to persevere with a single-minded focus.

It is a key factor in pursuing a commission!

I would choose to follow, serve with or lead people with grit anytime. Add in a good dose of common sense, decent brains, respectable emotional IQ, a sense of humor and a strong core of decency, and I’m good to go.

Grit: The power of passion and perseverance

Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn't the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of "grit" as a...

www.ted.com

 

[Beamer]

I am posting this thought-provoking TED talk here because I firmly believe the intangible quality of grit is essential to success in the military, regardless of commissioning path, officer or enlisted status, or service. It is that willingness to persevere with a single-minded focus.

It is a key factor in pursuing a commission!

I would choose to follow, serve with or lead people with grit anytime. Add in a good dose of common sense, decent brains, respectable emotional IQ, a sense of humor and a strong core of decency, and I’m good to go.

Grit: The power of passion and perseverance

Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn't the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of "grit" as a...

www.ted.com

That's really funny. I had to watch the video for my English class.

 

[Devil Doc]

I love TED talks. Some of my hardest working students hardly speak English. A couple years ago a girl from Ghana never said a word in class. She needed two and three times the time to do assignments. She did them though. I would even tell her to turn in her work and I would give her full credit. She refused and turned it in when it was completed. She came to my room last year before the shut down and meekly asked if I would write her recommendation for college. I said, "It will be ready tomorrow."

I have a Salvadorian boy in class who was also in my class last year. He sat at a table with two girls who were English Learners (formerly known as ESOL students). The time and effort he spent on helping the girls get by and actually learn was amazing. This year he is at home like all of us. Both his parents work two jobs. He also has his six year old brother at home doing this virtual learning...thing. Oh, and he has what amounts to a full time job. He doesn't do all his assignments but we chat occasionally after all other kids have clicked out of class. We talk mostly about just stuff, but I will throw in some topics from class and count that as a grade. I'd hire a kid like that or admit him to my school any day.

Both these kids have grit. A kind that lots of others don't have because like the speaker said, we need to get grittier about developing grit in our kids. I've written before here about the school and the district in which I teach. The district is considered one of the best in the country. My school is about five miles down the Potomac from the Pentagon. There are numerous mansions along the river with old money and new tech money who send their kids to us. We have children of politicians, senior military officers, and high ranking government officials. Across the highway though are the two bedroom apartments with six-plus inhabitants. Both parents work. Younger siblings need caring for. No nannies or housekeepers to run the household in those neighborhoods.

I don't write letters for the wealthy kids or the ones going to the academies. They don't need my help plus I'm not a core subjects teacher. I've found a niche in writing for and mentoring the students who fall in the cracks of high pressure and high requirement admissions. Developing grit has been a reemerging experience for me. Teaching in today's political and social environment is tough. I've wanted to quit numerous times; especially in the earlier days. I did a master's in public administration (MPA) hoping to find a sweet gig in government. I didn't get a government job and one year ran into the next. I had GI Bill left and didn't want to leave it on the table so I did a master's in education (M.Ed.). The district pays me for both plus I have a couple cool degree abbreviations after my name. This job has challenged my leadership abilities like no other. My students don't care that I was a senior chief and most don't even know what one is. They do care though that I care about them. That makes it easier to grit on past the BS part of the job and focus on them and their education.

 

[Capt MJ]

I love TED talks. Some of my hardest working students hardly speak English. A couple years ago a girl from Ghana never said a word in class. She needed two and three times the time to do assignments. She did them though. I would even tell her to turn in her work and I would give her full credit. She refused and turned it in when it was completed. She came to my room last year before the shut down and meekly asked if I would write her recommendation for college. I said, "It will be ready tomorrow."

I have a Salvadorian boy in class who was also in my class last year. He sat at a table with two girls who were English Learners (formerly known as ESOL students). The time and effort he spent on helping the girls get by and actually learn was amazing. This year he is at home like all of us. Both his parents work two jobs. He also has his six year old brother at home doing this virtual learning...thing. Oh, and he has what amounts to a full time job. He doesn't do all his assignments but we chat occasionally after all other kids have clicked out of class. We talk mostly about just stuff, but I will throw in some topics from class and count that as a grade. I'd hire a kid like that or admit him to my school any day.

Both these kids have grit. A kind that lots of others don't have because like the speaker said, we need to get grittier about developing grit in our kids. I've written before here about the school and the district in which I teach. The district is considered one of the best in the country. My school is about five miles down the Potomac from the Pentagon. There are numerous mansions along the river with old money and new tech money who send their kids to us. We have children of politicians, senior military officers, and high ranking government officials. Across the highway though are the two bedroom apartments with six-plus inhabitants. Both parents work. Younger siblings need caring for. No nannies or housekeepers to run the household in those neighborhoods.

I don't write letters for the wealthy kids or the ones going to the academies. They don't need my help plus I'm not a core subjects teacher. I've found a niche in writing for and mentoring the students who fall in the cracks of high pressure and high requirement admissions. Developing grit has been a reemerging experience for me. Teaching in today's political and social environment is tough. I've wanted to quit numerous times; especially in the earlier days. I did a master's in public administration (MPA) hoping to find a sweet gig in government. I didn't get a government job and one year ran into the next. I had GI Bill left and didn't want to leave it on the table so I did a master's in education (M.Ed.). The district pays me for both plus I have a couple cool degree abbreviations after my name. This job has challenged my leadership abilities like no other. My students don't care that I was a senior chief and most don't even know what one is. They do care though that I care about them. That makes it easier to grit on past the BS part of the job and focus on them and their education.

Servant leader, I salute you, shipmate.

 

[You]

THANK YOU!!! I love TED Talks, and I really needed this one today!

 

[Heatherg21]

They do care though that I care about them. That makes it easier to grit on past the BS part of the job and focus on them and their education.

This is why I spend time at our high school as a guest teacher. I really think it is why most who are in education at any level, from teaching to parapros to cafeteria and custodial staff do it. You have the chance to positively influence a life. It’s magic.