Persistance and Grit

I'm glad this topic of persistence and grit in teaching has come up. It reassures me, and I assume others, that there is no one right answer for any specific situation. In my classroom, I feel like I am trying new things out on a daily basis in order to reach my goals for myself and my students. Reflecting on these daily practices and processes continues to be an inspiring part of this "gritty" process. I like brainstorming new techniques and strategies and how, where and when I am going to try them out. 

One connection I was making while reading the article on persistence, was related to a book I am currently reading through my school called "What Great Teachers Do Differently." There are some commonalities between the authors perspective on what a great teacher in relation to grit and persistence. The author, Todd Whilaker, makes a statement that great teachers work through people, not programs. He views teaching as a profession of people and an appreciation for helping people reach their potential, whatever obstacles may be present. Great teachers a great in any situation. They mean what they say and they get things and they are successful in an situation. That viewpoint of never giving up and enduring under any circumstances, with the students best interest in mind a very powerful concept. 

I feel that in certain cases, we are able to teach students how to have "grit" and persevere to meet their  potential. I agree that many students come from households, in which their parents are supportive and provide guidance to promote the growth of grit in their children. This is a jump start for them.I also agree that there are children, who severely lack support and guidance. This deters their potential for "grit" because they haven't been exposed to its potential. As teachers, we need to promote the growth of perseverance and persistence, and support the students' daily gritty behaviors to ensure that our students are building strong habits and behaviors. Our hope is that this will allow them to drive through stressors and road bumps to achieve their potential and goals throughout their lives.

Response to "The Principle of Unique Life Lessons" Houston and Sokolow

A quick metaphor for this chapter can be explained as such; Throughout life, you are like a growing organism, who is shaped by growth and pruned by your experiences. During shaping experience, you will be confronted by both negative and positive outcomes. The authors state that with each "life lesson" especially when it seems to be negative, most people run at it and try to solve it as soon as possible. Rather than focus on how to solve the problem right away, they suggest you should step back, absorb all that is happening and embrace the problem. Each problem may be an opportunity for you to grow and better yourself. If you change your lens on your experiences and ask yourself how your life is being guided and what you are supposed to learn from your daily lessons, your ability to grow and change for the better will become apparent. You might also find something wrong with you instead of pointing the finger at someone else to avoid self-guilt. In times of difficulty, look to people you tryst to give you honest feedback and to hold up an accurate mirror of what is unfolding.

What every teacher should know about using math journals...

Why should teachers use journals during math class?

1. Math journals provide an opportunity for students to communicate and process their understanding/thinking with themselves and others.
2. Math journals give a teacher an opportunity to communicate personally with students. 
3. Math journals provide an opportunity for students to use correct math vocabulary in real world contexts.
4. Math journals allow students the opportunity to see the BIG ideas and make connections with other concepts and patterns.
5. Math journals allow a students who traditionally would be quiet and less likely to participate, to share what they know through drawings and writings. 

What are the BIG changes I've seen in my class and in the weeks to come?

1. First, math journals have provided my students the opportunity to personally communicate their understanding with m, and also show me exactly where they are with understanding a particular topic. 
2. I am looking forward to the day when my students can look back at their previous journal activities and see their progress as well as connect the dots to their learning. I want them to see their growth over time, in hopes that they can make several connections to patterns. It is also important for them to notice what areas in math they might have struggled with and had been successful with. 

What does this currently look like in my teaching?

1. Currently, I am implementing my journals on Wed. and Friday. I've found these days to be most effective in regards to time. When working with first graders, I've tried to keep things simple for the first few entries, because of experience. A majority of my students need plenty of modeling which in turn means we are taking it slow now-to go faster later. Another piece I am currently thinking about pertains to the workbook pages that we are "nudged" to complete every day. I'd like to substitute several of the pages for a journal entry to save time, but if that was the case, the students would lose out on opportunities to practice previous lesson concepts on the worksheets
2. Instead of having students copy down the prompt for the day, I have been printing and cutting out the journal entries every day-in order to save time. Students will then paste the prompts in their journals. 
3. Collecting the journals and its process is taking time to get used to. Most correcting is completed once per week and once on the weekend.