Related research strands a
number of years ago in my previous life was about schools that beat the odds
and kids who did well in school despite the odds. These kids and schools not
only survived but thrived. How did it happen that some kids/schools succeed and
others have fewer options.
Out of the studies, two
things emerged that really caught my attention. Kids who were successful
despite everything stacked against them were described (in part) as persistent
and resilient. That resonated with me. We educators could be part of helping
that be realized in their lives. We couldn’t change home. We couldn’t change
the way society viewed them. But we could work toward imbuing them with a strong
sense of self.
A quote that I tried to
live my life by was stated by Haim Ginott: Treat every child as if he already
is the person he is capable of becoming.
Of course, it was not that
simple. But since I had spent my entire 39 years as an educator, I had to try.
It was important that we try to intervene and develop at least those two life
skills. I wish I could report that we saved every kid we worked with. But that
wasn’t the case. It does not make our attempts futile, however.
In that spirit, let me
share some quotes that I feel attached to. Do you know someone who needs to be
more persistent and/or resilient? A sense of identity and self-efficacy will
provide the extra strength needed to keep at it. Try to help that person live
like this:
Perseverance and audacity generally win. Madame
Dorothée De Luzy
It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems
longer. Albert Einstein
In order to succeed, people need a sense of
self-efficacy, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable
obstacles and inequities of life.
Albert Bandura
There are no shortcuts to any place worth
going. Beverly Sills
Failure after long perseverance is much grander than never to have
a striving good enough to be called a failure. George Eliot
The moment we believe that success is determined by
an ingrained level of ability as opposed to resilience and hard work, we will
be brittle in the face of adversity. Joshua Waitzkin
Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if
it's less good than the one you had before. Elizabeth Edwards
I was taught to strive not because there were any guarantees of
success but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith
with life. Madeleine K. Albright, Madam Secretary: A Memoir
Hardships make or break people. Margaret Mitchell, Gone
with the Wind
The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one
moment to the next. Mignon McLaughlin
Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would
still plant my apple tree. Martin Luther
By perseverance the snail reached the ark. Charles Spurgeon
When you have a great and difficult task, something perhaps almost
impossible, if you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly
the work will finish itself. Isak Dinesen
The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one
comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t. Henry Ward Beecher
If you are going through hell, keep going. Winston Churchill
Resilience isn't a single skill. It's a variety of skills and coping
mechanisms. To bounce back from bumps in the road as well as failures, you
should focus on emphasizing the positive. Jean Chatzky
Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when
you’re tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired. Robert Strauss
Resilience is all about being able to overcome the
unexpected. Sustainability is about survival. The goal of resilience is to
thrive. Jamais Cascio
When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and
resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with
failure do we realise that these resources were always there within us. We only
need to find them and move on with our lives. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have
perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are
gifted for something and that this thing must be attained. Marie Curie
You don’t have to be strong to survive a bad situation; you simply
need a plan. Shannon L. Alder
We will either find a way or make one. Hannibal
Nothing great is ever achieved without much
enduring. Catherine of Siena
Persistence and resilience only come from having been
given the chance to work through difficult problems.
Gever Tulley
Did you find a quote that spoke to you? If so, share this post with others
in your circle. Here are some copy/paste ways to do that.
Facebook: Self-efficacy and
identity. Persistence and resilience. These are tools we all need in our
toolbox. Read the post by Angelica French to find your pertinent quote to live
by.http://bit.ly/2uVrFFP
Twitter: Use these quotes to
remind yourself how to be more persistent and resilient from @romancerighter. http://bit.ly/2uVrFFP
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