“Grit” is a buzz word; we have a hard time tying down exactly what we mean by it, or even if we share a common understanding. Earlier this year we had a lengthy discussion in this blog space about “grit”.
Check out this short piece from CBS Channel 9 LA yesterday; I think you will agree that, whatever “grit” is, this is a piece of it. Am I biased? Hell yes. What does she have that the rest of us don’t? Can it be extracted, analyzed, taught, learned, acquired? Can it even be understood? I don’t know. I do know that of all the athletes in the world competing at this level, or at any level that requires this level of physical commitment, there cannot be a handful, if that many, that are doing it in pain every time they take a step.
Has to be grit in that.
Very cool. Thanks for sharing this, Grant. With that type of determination, she’ll be able to accomplish whatever she sets her mind to.
Thanks!
Reblogged this on principalaim and commented:
Like so many, I, too, have been looking for concrete ways to define grit for my students. Thanks to Grant Lichtman, I have a great example of what it means to embody “grit.” As I see it, grit is: courage, perseverance, determination, heart, passion, and dedication. Regardless to how it is defined, grit is a fundamental 21st century skill set for our students. How do you define grit? tlb