BUILDING ‘MENTAL TOUGHNESS’ AT SCHOOL
Perseverance is a word that is often overlooked. From a very young age, most of us are told that we can do anything we want if we set our mind to it. But what happens when we really want something, but our mind is working against us?
Perseverance is the ability to do something despite difficulties or a delay in achieving success.
In sport, it is rather easy to think of hardships. You might run out of energy, muscles can start aching or cramping. You might also be having a bad day due to an unforeseen illness or lack of training. These are the physical aspects. On top of that, your mind might also be playing tricks on you by telling you that maybe you aren’t ready for the challenge.
I’ve experienced such moments in several instances throughout my life. As a young student, I actually didn’t think much of it, but as a triathlon athlete, having taken part in several Ironman 70.3 races, about a dozen half marathons, a couple of marathons and more than 40 other races, I’m quite familiar with the feeling of a mind that keeps ‘shouting’ - “YOU CAN’T DO IT”.
How can we apply perseverance to life at school and build this mental resilience early in life?
Children often undergo similar trials and tribulations on a daily basis as they encounter new situations and ideas constantly. They are asked to understand an exercise, no matter how difficult it is, complete homework, regardless of the number of hours it might take, or finish a test without missing a question, even if they don’t know all the answers.
Perseverance is not an innate ability. It comes with experience and is taught as a constant reminder. To put it simply - this is a life skill that when taught at a young age, gives children the mental strength not to give up and work hard to achieve their goals, no matter how hard it might seem or how many knock backs they might encounter.
Here are 5 ideas to focus on when teaching children perseverance:
1. Explain (and show) the benefits of perseverance. Quite often the main issue with perseverance is the inability to understand why they need to try so hard. What’s in it for them? Explaining why can go a long way.
2. Talk about people they admire and how perseverance has helped them. Talking about people who worked hard to achieve their goals can make them relate to that idea in an easier way. You can talk about famous athletes, actors or scientists. If it’s someone they admire - even better! They didn’t become a sensation overnight, the worked their fingers to the bone for it.
3. Celebrate their wins (regardless of how big or small they are). Did they finish a test and didn’t give up halfway through? Celebrate it! Did they organise their bedroom after a hard day at school? Celebrate it! There’s always room for improvement, but being able to keep it positive will make children want to work harder for their own goals.
4. Model perseverance. Show your children how hard you work to achieve your goals, whether they are work or sports related. Modelling is a great way to get children to do the same.
5. Embrace failure. Most children would see failure as a sign that they are not good enough. However, we know failure is an opportunity to improve ourselves and do it better the next time we do it. Don’t stop, keep going, pick yourself up and you’ll get there. You CAN do it!
Mr Signer, Year 3 Teacher
