Grit, or the ability to persevere when things are difficult, not working, or complicated is a great skill to help students explore and develop. The key ingredient to demonstrate Grit is doing work that matters. Yes, some students will demonstrate Grit simply because the teacher assigned them that work and getting a good grade, or pleasing their parents, is going to be motivation enough to stick to it and get the job done. For them, these kinds of motivators give the work enough meaning that they will persevere.
For other students, it’s not so simple. For some, for many reasons, just because the teacher assigned it, or they received a threat of a bad grade, or the idea of pleasing their parents isn’t motivating. These kinds of things don’t give their work meaning. In these cases, building strong, trusting relationships and helping them to use their interests and passions in their learning are often good first steps to helping students get on a path where they can develop the skill of Grit. Doing this is usually not fast, nor easy but it is worth it. It normally just takes a little Grit on your part.
Trevor (@trevorabryan)