What does it take to create kids with grit and what does it exactly mean to have grit?

I sought answers to my questions by reading Angela Duckworth’s book Grit: the Power of Passion and Perseverance.

First, Duckworth defines grit as a combination of passion and perseverance to achieve long-term goals. It’s not just working hard and never giving up. Nor is it just luck or talent that’s necessary for a person to be successful. Instead, the secret is finding something that you enjoy and have fun doing, no matter how hard or easy. This is what Duckworth defines as passion. Then, you have got to stick with it. It can take time to achieve goals, and you must truly love what you’re doing, and stay in love with this passion over a long time.

But the good news is that you can depend on others to help you in your journey. You don’t have to do it all on your own. You must develop strong relationships with people, telling them what you can’t do and with their help, figuring out how to do it. This formula could make the difference between success or failure.

How does Duckworth’s advice about grit translate to teachers in classrooms? Teenagers need adults who are both supportive and demanding. Duckworth calls this the “magic recipe for parenting” but it applies to educators who can hold kids to high standards, help them discover their passion, encourage them to stick with, and push them to work hard.

As we all know, teachers have the power to change lives. They should now put in their toolbox the idea of developing grit in their students so that too can succeed in whatever they decide to do.