Middle Years 

Term 4 is always busy, and students start to feel under increasing pressure as different activities pull them in different directions. Our Year 7 students will have finished their 3 day camp on the Glenelg River. It is the time of the year when students need to show grit, and grit is a powerful idea that can lead to action and help students get the results they want.  In Wellbeing classes I often refer to Luke McKenna’s book “Making Wellbeing Practical”. Here is some advice on grit.

Grit….

• Is an action that leads to learning
• It means sticking to commitments until fruition.
• Maintaining interest and effort for a sustained period despite adversity, failure and plateau.
• Is a predictor of future success.

How to improve grit….

• Set goals or know what you want to achieve.
• Remove distractions.
• Set up good habits.

Skills that contribute to grit are:

• Delaying gratification.
• Deliberate practice.
• Seeking continuous improvement.

In an ideal world, grit is an attribute I would like to foster in all young people.

Julia Winter Cooke