6B Putting Readings ‘In Conversation’ With Each Other

Every week we are assigned to a reading that we have to read and analyze so that we are prepared to talk about it in class.  This week we had to read an article and watch a video on the term “grit.” Grit is when you have the passion to stick with something over a long period of time until you master it. “A gritty individual approaches achievement as a marathon; his or her advantage is stamina.” (Angela Duckworth)Being persistent has a lot to do with being gritty. The reading on grit compares to some of the readings we have previously read. 

A couple weeks ago we read an article called “How Teachers Develop Students’ Motivation and Success.”  This article was about motivation and how students need the mindset in order to be successful. Mindset is the way in which someone approaches a situation, even though the task might be difficult. This article relates to the article we just read about grit because in order to have grit you have to have the right mindset. If you have no motivation to do something you are never going to master it.  For example, say you have a goal to get all A’s and B’s in school. If you don’t motivate yourself to do well then you are not going to accomplish this task. In order to have grit you have to be persistent and put your mind to it in order to be successful.

Another article that relates to the concept of grit is one of the first articles I read called “Work Hard or Work Smart.”  This article basically talked about how in order to do well in school you have to work harder than you thought you could. If you work hard in everything you do then you will be an outstanding student. This article gave very good advice on how to work smart. For example, it said, “before your week starts, get your plan in order.” When being a gritty person you have to work hard at what you do. You can’t just have the passion for something in order to be gritty, you have to work hard and push yourself in order to achieve something.