Perseverance
I've been noticing lately that one of the hardest spartan skills to practice is "perseverance." It takes a lot of self-control to practice perseverance, and to teach it! When I see a student struggling, it would be so much easier to tell them the answer. BUT if I just quietly wait, they often struggle through and figure out the right answer. If they're reading, and my quiet waiting causes them to break apart a word and figure it out themselves, I tell them how proud I am that they self-corrected.
I think a lot of kids these days are waiting for us to help. As a parent, there are times that we are running late and I give in and grab something they should carry to the car. But I need to be careful about this. I need to let my kids struggle, and practice responsibility. It's important now, because it's extra important later. If they learn at a young age how to problem solve, they are going to be better employees when they get older. I'm not talking about walking away and letting them figure it out on their own, get frustrated, or maybe even walk away from their problem and not solve it at all. I'm talking about standing there, watching them, encouraging them that they can do it, and then praising them when they accomplish part or all of a task that was challenging for them. It's worth it!
I've been noticing lately that one of the hardest spartan skills to practice is "perseverance." It takes a lot of self-control to practice perseverance, and to teach it! When I see a student struggling, it would be so much easier to tell them the answer. BUT if I just quietly wait, they often struggle through and figure out the right answer. If they're reading, and my quiet waiting causes them to break apart a word and figure it out themselves, I tell them how proud I am that they self-corrected.
I think a lot of kids these days are waiting for us to help. As a parent, there are times that we are running late and I give in and grab something they should carry to the car. But I need to be careful about this. I need to let my kids struggle, and practice responsibility. It's important now, because it's extra important later. If they learn at a young age how to problem solve, they are going to be better employees when they get older. I'm not talking about walking away and letting them figure it out on their own, get frustrated, or maybe even walk away from their problem and not solve it at all. I'm talking about standing there, watching them, encouraging them that they can do it, and then praising them when they accomplish part or all of a task that was challenging for them. It's worth it!