Passion for Perseverance

“If you can’t fly, then run.  If you can’t run, then walk.  If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”  – Dr. Martin Luther King

I am a big ACC basketball fan and my all time favorite player is Michael Jordan.  That man had a vertical (and horizontal) leap that made your jaw drop.  He became even more of a hero to me when I read Salt in His Shoes – Michael Jordan in Pursuit of a Dream.  I had always viewed Jordan as an elite athlete with superhuman powers, but as I read the story told by his mother and sister, I saw this simple kid with a love for basketball, a dedication to practice, and a persistence that was inspiring.  Jordan once said, “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.  That is why I succeed.”  

Success comes through perseverance.  Perseverance is defined as a steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.  This is a powerful life tool, and an instrumental one in helping our students succeed.  When you hear the life stories of famous artists, scientists, inventors, musicians, athletes, and leaders – they all have a tenacity that keeps them striving to succeed.  They don’t give up when things get tough.  Here are just a few visionaries whose failures paved the way for great successes:

• Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star because they said he “lacked imagination.”
• J.K. Rowling was turned down time and time again before the publishing Harry Potter.
• Oprah Winfrey was dismissed from her first television spot because she was told she was “unfit for television.”
• Thomas Edison was fired from Western Union and decided to just take to inventing full time.
• Albert Einstein didn’t speak until he was four years old and you know the rest of his brilliant story.
• Dr. Seuss’ work was rejected multiple times before he published his first book.
• Abraham Lincoln failed at several business ventures and lost multiple political elections before becoming one of our greatest presidents.

Teaching our students to persevere should be a daily goal in our classrooms.  Creating the habit of perseverance takes practice and conscious effort.  Here are a few ways to make that a priority:

• Create a classroom climate where students feel safe to take learning risks.  Applaud the process and discuss the strategies and knowledge that develop through trial and error.
• Have class discussions about the effort and perseverance that is needed to create quality work.
• Work over time to build stamina.  Learning is a marathon – not a sprint.  It takes time and practice.
• Talk about Growth Mindset and the importance of effort in any type of work.
• Teach positive self-talk.  Being able to tell yourself to stick with a task and not give up is empowering.
• Have high expectations for your students and encourage them to have high expectations for themselves.

Perseverance helps us learn to work through challenges, deal with failure constructively, and reach the goals we set for ourselves.  I have heard it said that a river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its perseverance.  One of our goals as we prepare our students to be responsible and productive citizens should be to develop the persistence to rise up after falling and move forward just like that river.

“It’s not that I’m so smart.  It’s just that I stay with problems longer.”  – Albert Einstein