Grit and Mind Growth

As i was reading the Worker #2: The Believer he states "His response isn't to blame the families, the situation,  or the environment.  It's to take what many might figure to be his kids' greatest liabilities and turn those on their head, making grit, determination,  and ingenuity their greatest strengths" (pg 55). The main word that stood out to me the most was "GRIT". I remembered hearing that word from a Ted Talk that I saw two years in a row for my Peer Mentor Training for college.The speaker defined Grit as having passion and perseverance for long term goals. Grit is Something that Joe Manko demonstrated through his life choices. Since attending UCLA he knew that he wanted to make a difference and he was led to do that through education. Teaching in one of the most troublesome areas in Baltimore City. Even after he struggled hard his first year and "could have gone into a different, more lucrative world" he decided to stay and continue his work until it was fulfilling. 
     Grit is needed in all Teachers but especially those who are teaching in high needs schools. Students can tell who was in it for the long-run and truly wanted to make a difference in our lives and for that, those were the teachers who ended up having the most control over their classes and even if the class wasn't the best behaved, they still received some form of respect. While the other teachers were not seen again within a year or two. Without having Grit or being passionate about teaching or helping students become better beings,  it is a waste of time. Because as Mankoe pointed out, could you really say that the kids benefitted from you being there at all? Teaching is a selfless job and when going into this field one can't easily accept defeat because when deciding to work with children or in a school, you are fighting for more than just yourself.
     Another term that stood out to me was Growth Mindset.  In the Ted Talk, the speaker states that this is the realization that the ability to learn can change with effort; whatever situation you are in or failure you may experience, it is not permanent. I believe Joe Manko understood that it would not be difficult for him forever and by keeping his mind on what he wanted to accomplish, he was able to move further in his career. 
     Grit and Growth Mindset are one of the the things that i believe are key for children and should be something that we try to instill in students during the academic year and even in the SuperKids Camp. This week, when we finally had our permanent class, a camper who i use to have came to me every day asking if she could come back to my class. When asked why, one of the reasons was because she was the only 4th grader who was placed in the lowest reading levels and was being teased by other campers for it,  and even gave her current counselor a hard time. Without knowing it I had talked to her about Grit and the Growth Mindset. I wanted her to understand that she is placed in the class that she is in for a reason...to get the help that she needs and by her giving the counselor a hard time it would only hurt her in the long run. We discussed some goals that she would have for herself while in the camp and one was to improve on her reading skills because although she may be the oldest camper in the lower reading level class, it won't be like that forever and once the camp is over, she will hopefully be even closer to being at the reading level she should be on. We must let them know that not only are we here to help them but they must work to help themselves as well.