Celebrate Hardworking Students to Cultivate Grit

In the classroom, celebrating hard work and making progress toward long-term goals doesn't need to take away from instructional time. Read a teacher's perspective on infusing the classroom and the school with a focus on grit and pointing out students who work hard to create a positive learning environment. 

Panorama's Playbook offers actionable strategies and resources, contributed by classroom teachers like Ms. Mitchell. Playbook's classroom moves include strategies for developing students' social-emotional learning, targeting self-management, growth mindset, social awareness, self-efficacy, and grit. Amanda Mitchell, a 3rd grade teacher in Chelsea, Massachusetts, offered that "Creating a Gritty Gallery" is one approach she uses to call attention to and celebrate hard work, rather than only focusing on great results on the first try.

"The Gritty Gallery motivates students to work hard and persevere through challenges. Students feel a sense of accomplishment when they are recognized for their grit and determination."  

—Amanda Mitchell, Teacher

Each month, Ms. Mitchell chooses 1 or 2 students to feature in the Gritty Gallery. The area of the classroom designated as the Gritty Gallery showcases a student's photo, some fun information about the student's interests, and examples of his or her classwork. Ms. Mitchell also asks her students for tips for their classmates on working hard and persevering through challenges, which she includes in the Gritty Gallery.

Ms. Mitchell's approach to cultivating her students' grit is one of the strategies for helping students grow their social-emotional skills featured on Playbook.

Ms. Mitchell changes the featured students every few weeks. On Playbook she shares, "These students are the ones who model dedication and determination, even if they are not the strongest academically." Choosing new students every so often motivates all students to work hard. Featuring the Gritty Gallery prominently in the classroom celebrates grit for all students.