Fostering Grit

Book excerpt: For too long, educators have focused only on getting students ready for the next test, for the next grade, for graduation, or maybe for college. Students must be prepared to succeed in school, and they must know how to read, write, and calculate. But that's only the beginning. Our job-whether we teach kindergarten, 5th grade, or high school or we lead a school or district-is to prepare students for success in the real world. To do so, we must also teach grit. Grit is a combination of tenacity and perseverance-a willingness to take risks even if it means sometimes failing and starting again. Kn.