Power Of Perseverance:

 The Power of Perseverance: Lessons Learned from the Court to the Classroom

Life always seems simpler when viewed from the outside. Throughout my teaching career, I thought I had all the answers, guiding parents on how to nurture their children's academic growth. But it wasn't until I became the parent of teenagers that I truly understood the challenges and complexities of fostering resilience and determination in young minds.

As a teacher, I've always emphasized the importance of pushing students to tackle difficult tasks, urging them to embrace challenges with grit and perseverance. Yet, despite my best efforts, I've often found it challenging to instill this mindset in my students. I've wondered why they struggle to see the benefits of persevering through tough problems, even when it's clear to me that this is precisely what they need to succeed beyond the classroom.

Ironically, I faced a similar struggle as a parent when my younger son encountered obstacles in his basketball journey. Despite my coaching experience and firm belief in the value of perseverance, I found myself tempted to shield him from discomfort, prioritizing his comfort over his character. It took the perspective of a friend—a fellow educator—to remind me of the importance of allowing my son to face challenges head-on, to learn and grow through adversity.


I have two high school aged boys. Colin, my older son, was exposed to more coaching and basketball experience than my younger son because of a family move, and then Covid. As a freshman, Colin was a starter on the C team at the local 4A school team. This year my younger son, Kaleb, tried out for the same teams, but was placed as a red shirt on the D-Team. I have experience as a head basketball coach. I had seen my son play over the last two years and I knew the coaches had underestimated him. As an 8th grade basketball player, Kaleb was only 4’11”. Less than a year later, he is 5’7” and still growing. I am 6’6” and expect both my sons will be over six feet tall when they’re done growing. I felt the high school coaches were not seeing Kaleb’s potential. So there I was, at home with a son in tears because he felt like a failure. My response as a parent was “if you do not really like basketball ‘Quit!’” The program had let him down and I was unimpressed. Kaleb, through the tears and with the support of my wife, decided to stick it out and red-shirt for the season. He wouldn’t get to dress for games or travel with the team. However, he knew he had not played that much basketball, so going to practice every day would be an opportunity to improve his game. A few days later I called Tyler, one of my best math teacher friends, and described the situation. His response was “what a great opportunity for your son to grow!” I had missed the whole thing. I wanted to protect my son from experiencing challenges, working hard, and persevering. The grit and perseverance I expected of my students I had denied my son because it was “not fair.” I had prioritized my son’s comfort over his character.


 As the season progressed, Kaleb came home bragging that he worked harder than any player in practice and the coach was noticing. When another player would be unable to attend an upcoming game, my son got the invitation to join the team. That day he proudly came home in the team sweats. Colin, who was playing on the JV team this season, helped Kaleb with his big announcement when they arrived home from practice that night. Later, after weeks of little in-game playing time, but hard work during practice, Kaleb became the 6th man on his team. In the second to last game of his season he played over 3 quarters and led the team in scoring with 13 points. All his baskets came from his left hand except his free throw. On the car ride home, he excitedly explained how he had used all the information Colin and I shared with him during the season. Colin gave him tips on strong defense and I encouraged him to score with his left hand. With our coaching in mind, he played his best game. He had been learning the whole time, listening, and working towards becoming a competitive player. 

Over time, I witnessed firsthand the transformative power of perseverance. Despite initial setbacks, my son refused to give up, dedicating himself to improvement and hard work. His determination paid off as he earned a spot on the team and eventually became a key player, leading his team with skill and determination.


This experience has left me reflecting on my role as an educator. How can I inspire my students to set and pursue meaningful goals, to cultivate a mindset of resilience and perseverance? What strategies can I employ to foster grit in both students and their parents? How do we interact with parents to help them to understand the importance of challenge and struggle in order to create long term success for their child?

I've been intrigued by the Japanese approach to math education, where students spend a significant portion of their time engaged in productive struggle. In contrast, American classrooms often shy away from such rigorous challenges, fearing student frustration and disengagement. This begs the question: what has happened to our students that students from other cultures exhibit ten times the perseverance, resulting in significantly higher competency demonstrated on the TIMSS test?



As educators, we must find ways to create classroom environments that encourage and support productive struggle. We must communicate to our students the importance of competency and character over comfort, preparing them for the complex challenges they'll face in the future.

In a generation where attention spans are shorter than a 3-minute video and answers are just a Google or AI away, how do we create the mathematical mindset our students need to solve the world's current and future problems? Our students are going to be in a workspace where all easy computation can be done by artificial intelligence. No longer do they need to rationalize a denominator, but need to solve problems such as climate change. They will have to create enough food to feed the growing world population with less space and resources. These complex, challenging problems do not have easy answers. The individuals who are going to solve them are going to spend thousands of hours in productive struggle, with models that are going to fail. They must learn to persevere, collaborate, and learn through failures.

Teachers must create challenges for our students with difficult problems but also provide scaffolding and support for those that come from challenging circumstances, scaffolding their learning to make content accessible. These students and many of their parents have the Grit and Perseverance we need to solve society's problems; they just need the access and scaffolding to the content. We must instill in our students the belief that overcoming obstacles is not only possible but essential for their future success.


Ultimately, it's about equipping our students with the skills and mindset they need to tackle the world's most pressing problems. By fostering perseverance and grit in our classrooms, we can empower the next generation to become the problem solvers and innovators our world needs.


Books:

Growth Mindset and Grit

  1. "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success" by Carol S. Dweck

  • Explores fixed vs. growth mindsets and their impact on achievement.

  • Focuses on strategies for fostering growth mindsets in students.

  1. "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth

    • Examines the role of perseverance and passion in achieving long-term goals.

    • Offers insights for cultivating grit in students.

Culturally Responsive Teaching and Equity

  1. "Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students" by Zaretta Hammond

    • Focuses on the neuroscience behind culturally responsive teaching.

    • Provides strategies to engage students from diverse backgrounds in rigorous learning through scaffolding, cognitive development, and promoting productive struggle.

Mathematics Education

  1. "Mathematical Mindsets: Unleashing Students' Potential Through Creative Math, Inspiring Messages and Innovative Teaching" by Jo Boaler

    • Provides strategies for promoting a growth mindset in mathematics education.

    • Focuses on problem-solving, reducing math anxiety, and fostering creativity in math learning.

  2. "Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You'd Had" by Tracy Zager

    • Offers practical ideas for creating a math classroom that embraces productive struggle and deep understanding.

Productive Struggle and Resilience

  1. "The Learning Pit" by James Nottingham

    • Focuses on helping students engage in and embrace the struggle that comes with learning.

  2. "The Growth Mindset Playbook" by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley

    • Practical strategies for implementing growth mindset principles in the classroom.

Brain Science and Education

  1. "Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School" by John Medina

  • Examines how brain science can inform teaching practices, including managing student engagement and attention.

  1. "How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character" by Paul Tough

    • Investigates how character traits like grit and resilience contribute to success.

Videos and TED Talks:

  1. "The Power of Believing That You Can Improve" by Carol Dweck (TED Talk)

    • Explains how fostering a growth mindset transforms student learning.

  2. "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Duckworth (TED Talk)

    • Discusses the science of grit and strategies to nurture it in students.

  3. "Jo Boaler: Boosting Mathematical Mindsets" (YouTube)

    • Provides actionable tips for fostering growth mindsets in math classrooms.

Curricular Resources

  1. YouCubed (by Jo Boaler)

    • Offers free activities, videos, and resources to encourage creative and growth mindset-focused math learning.

  2. Mindset Kit (Stanford University)

    • A collection of free lessons and materials for teachers to develop growth mindsets in their classrooms.

  3. Character Lab

    • Nonprofit offering evidence-based strategies to build character traits like grit and resilience in students.

Frameworks and Strategies

  1. Japanese Lesson Study

    • A method of collaborative lesson planning and observation that emphasizes productive struggle.

  2. 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Mathematics Discussions by Margaret S. Smith and Mary Kay Stein

    • Guides teachers in structuring math lessons to promote discussion and resilience in problem-solving.

  3. Visible Thinking Routines (Project Zero)

    • Offers strategies to encourage critical thinking and reflection during challenges.

Professional Development Opportunities

  1. Growth Mindset and Mathematical Mindset Workshops

    • Offered by organizations like YouCubed and Mathematical Association of America.

  2. Grit Training by Angela Duckworth’s Character Lab

    • Sessions on implementing grit-building strategies in classrooms.

  3. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)

    • Provides workshops and publications focusing on perseverance in math learning.

Location: Moses Lake, WA 98837, USA

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