By Paul Marsh
With another Branford High School year almost halfway done and the holidays right around the corner, the idea of grit or resilience can easily come to mind. The grind of the school year begins to wear on students and it can be tough. Do you have the grit to be successful?
High school students in particular exhibit varying amounts of grit, which believe it or not has various benefits to your grades, state test scores, and even your work ethic. Everyone is capable of being gritty or resilient.
Why is grit so important?
You may wonder why grit is so important or why you should learn about it. Numerous studies have shown how all sorts of people can grow and succeed from being gritty. We see a straightforward example in a study conducted by Angela Duckworth, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. It was geared towards high schoolers and teachers in rough neighborhoods.
Ultimately in both students and teachers they saw the ones with a higher level of grit stayed in the program the whole year. The reasoning for this can simply be summed up by Duckworth herself, she says “Grit is staying with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
Grit simply isn’t doing a small task like one test or one month, but pushing through multiple tests and multiple months. The study refers to talent versus grit and how even the talented students didn’t have the grit to make it to the last day, while the ones with grit, even though not as talented, pushed through their struggles to succeed and make the distance.
There are numerous studies that show the benefits of grit and success, but what can a high school student do to become “grittier” or more resilient?
Find your passion in what you do
The first way to develop grit is to find passion in something you love. This may occur naturally, but if not you can try a technique called the “Hard Thing Rule” which was used by Duckworth in her own life as a mother. She would tell her children that they need to do something that required time and effort, and it had a natural stopping point. Playing a seasonal sport is a good example. Doing this forces you to persevere through a task which is difficult enough and then enduring through obstacles as it went on.
In one instance with her oldest daughter she played the piano. She worked through it and eventually told her mom that she needed a new “hard thing.” Now this wasn’t to replace the piano because after time and effort she developed the passion to play it. Instead, when doing the difficult task regularly there is the chance you find that passion to pair with the perseverance developing in the activity.
Grit is having the combination of both of these aspects so participating in something new creates an atmosphere to endure and persevere and turn into a passion and having true meaning which makes you put even more effort forward.
Do things that are challenging or difficult
Other research finds that you should “immerse yourself in gritty culture” which may be a bit intense but has a good idea which we can simplify to the idea of involving yourself in gritty practices or situations. Some less fortunate people may be born in hard neighborhoods or in minority communities which have shown an increase in grit. The brief connection is those forced into gritty situations develop the skills to do so, which can apply to those who put themselves into gritty situations.
Other studies have touched on exterior influences and how they affected one’s grit. One example of this theory can be looked at in a study done a high school in Chicago. Duckworth gave out polls to the graduating class at the start of the year. The poll asked about the grit scale and the level of grit the students thought they had. At the end of the year she found that grittier kids were significantly more likely to graduate even when matched on measurable characteristics.
These measurable characteristics can be their social economic status, parental situation, or even ethnicity. From the story she saw that children that had had a struggle in their life or some obstacle were considered grittier and then proceeded to graduate. These gritty environments people grow up in force them into the mindset and attitude needed to persevere and survive which in turn shows us that a gritty atmosphere can make us be instilled with grit.
No matter how talented you are, practice working hard
When it comes to grit talent and in general talent only gets you so far.
You may find yourself being talented at a sport, let’s say football, and do well. The contrary is someone who does better because they train for hours, put in the extra effort, and have a true passion to be great. Two people may both be talented in something but the one who builds on that with practice will be more successful.
Now you don’t have to take my word because in another study by Duckworth she compares students seen with grit to students with what is considered raw talent. When they looked at a group of high schoolers, they saw students with higher levels of grit ( provided by the grit scale poles the students took) had higher grade point averages ( GPA), better SAT scores and higher levels of retention in education. The reasoning behind this is how talent can affect your mindset. Some students that naturally succeed feel they don’t need to study or pay attention because in previous experiences they succeed without it but, children that may struggle with material but study and input more effort result in long term success.
This idea of long term success can apply to one single test opposed to an entire year of school. A talented child may do better on single tests because they pick up material easily but they have no interest in retaining it for the future. A grittier child may not do as well on brief quizzes or tests but when the final exam comes they excel because of the retention they have towards material and previous effort to retain the information.
Now if you reflect on yourself, you may have thought of a particular class you struggle in and give up in, but remember the research – by pushing through the struggle, you become grittier – and benefit – in the end.
And remember, these examples can help you in life, not just in school.
Editor's Note: Paul Marsh is a senior with the class of 2024 and wrote a version of this article as part of an English research assignment junior year. He considers himself gritty.
