We have heard a lot about gritty students in recent years. Grit researchers are now focusing their efforts on teachers. In a study published in the current issue of the peer-reviewed journal Teachers College Record, University of Pennsylvania researchers Claire Robertson-Kraft and Angela Duckworth discovered that higher levels of “perseverance and passion for long-term goals” were associated with higher rates of effectiveness and retention for novice teachers in high-poverty school districts.

This research finding has highlighted how important it is for teachers to be gritty in order to develop grit among the students. Gritty teachers act like a tool to generate grit among the students.

Classroom designed by the gritty teacher

An instructor with grit knows how to keep the students motivated despite all the hurdles they may face. He or she inculcates some of the most important characteristics among the students that help them to keep moving forward until they meet their desired result.

A gritty teacher knows that there are multiple methods to get to the right answer – An instructor with ‘grit’ always teaches the students that there are multiple ways to find the answer and to get things done. Instead of losing hope, it is better to look up to other strategies that can help meet the desired goal.

For instance, a student named Annie is struggling hard to develop number sense. She fails whenever she is asked to solve a subtraction equation. But luckily, Annie has a gritty mathematics instructor who has solved her problem by teaching her how to count numbers using her fingers. Now Annie counts using her fingers before doing the subtraction question.

Like this, the educators can validate learning as a personal challenge and achievement by recognizing that a variety of methods can be used to achieve a successful output. There is no one ‘single way’ of meeting your goal.

Encourage the class to create personal goals – The gritty teachers always know the importance of goal setting. In fact, they teach the curriculum by dividing it into shorter goals that eventually lead to the long-term goal i.e. the successful completion of the curriculum.

They always encourage the students to develop at least one personal goal at a time. They act as a role model for their students when it comes to setting goals and following them accordingly.

Gritty teachers have a strong trait of Conscientiousness – Conscientiousness is a personality trait that is defined as being thorough, careful, or vigilant. Conscientiousness implies a desire to complete a task well, and conscientious people are efficient and organized, not stopping until the job is completed and that too completed correctly.

We truly believe that conscientiousness is contagious. A teacher with this trait is more likely to produce students with conscientiousness. Such teachers encourage the students to stand firm in their beliefs and opinions and even if they face opposition that only serves to strengthen their determination.

Gritty teachers are passionate – When mediocrity will suffice, passion creates excellence. Passionate people have a strong sense of purpose and often act selflessly. They also understand themselves – they have a strong sense of their values and beliefs and live by them. They generally accept themselves as flawed and growing, viewing life as a series of decisions and options. They are goal-driven and results-oriented.

Passionate teachers always keep the morale among the students high. They create a sense of enthusiasm in the classroom sessions keeping students motivated and passionate about their study goals. Their high energy level boosts the learner’s motivation and gives them the courage to face difficulty right in its face.

Gritty teachers have a high level of resilience – A one-word description of resilience would be ‘toughness’. Those who are optimistic have a higher tendency of being resilient. Resilient teachers bring more success to their students because they teach them to stand tall in case of any difficulty. They inculcate such a set of beliefs among their pupils that cannot be shattered easily. They try to make their students self-aware and cultivate mindfulness. They train their students in such a way that they see difficulties as a stepping stone to transformation.

Grit is such a trait that can make a person stand out. Train your mind to see the problem as an opportunity for growth. Keep working until you get what you want.