Boosting Achievement - Book Study Week 3

"Getting Knocked down in life is a given. Getting up and moving forward is a choice." ~ Zig Zaglar

Grit: perseverance and passion for long-term goals.

When I went through high school as a newcomer student, my mother was there. When I put myself through college, my mother was also there. She witnessed my struggles, my failures, and hardships. So every time we talk about my accomplishments, she asks: "But how did you do it?" "Where did you get the strength from to finish your goal?" My answer was always: "I don't know, I just felt like I had to keep going."  Today I know that it was because of grit! 
Character Lab  has a great post on grit that states that "Grit is a critical strength of most people who are successful."
It also gives some examples of what grit looks like: 

• Finishing what you begin
• Staying committed to your goals
• Working hard even after experiencing failure or when you feel like quitting
• Sticking with a project or activity for more than a few weeks

In Boosting Achievement we learn that SIFE and refugee students, "embody grit and perseverance." We know this to be true because their experiences and hardships required them to be strong and committed to surviving in their environment. 
"Many SIFE come to America with enough pain to fill a lifetime of sadness and despair."  ~ Tan Huynh

​Our responsibility as their educator is to guide them in using that strength found within them and apply it toward school and life goals. ​

Dr. Duckworth reminds us that grit "requires deep interest" - This means that our students need to be engaged in what they are interested in even if they fail. We have to provide opportunities for them to take risk and try.
Carol provides us with a great lesson she learned with her student, Hamsa. Watch this video where he shows perseverance in doing what he knows he can do and is interested about.  

"Who am I to hold him back from trying?" ~ Carol Salva

Ideas for Encouraging Curiosity, Creativity, and Global Thinking

Boosting Achievement provides a great list of  ideas and opportunities to encourage our SIFE students to engage in topics of interest:

• Easy Gamify Your Classroom with Kahoot
• Mystery Skype with a Mystery Class
• Mystery Skype with a Professional
• Partner with Historical Professionals
• Partner with Business Professionals
• Flip a Visit to a Local Business
• Virtual Field Trips
• Invite or Community Newspapers to Feature Students Who are SIFE​

For more ideas and for details about given ideas on page #43 and #44, please visit bit.ly/SalvaBLog

Great video about meeting the needs of refugee students:

Older SIFE students may appear to have a wider educational gap, but FEAR NOT. According to Boosting Achievement, SIFE students come with a sense of urgency, and often have a deeper appreciation for educational OPPORTUNITIES!! 
They already have the most important predictor for success: PASSION. PERSISTENCE. MOTIVATION.  Just provide the opportunities and watch them soar!! 

Key Predictors for Success

Thank you for reading!