2274.4, Resource, Gordon, D. Belita Gordon's 2nd Favorite Mentor Text for Building Character and Supporting School Climate in Fourth Grade

Dr. Belita Gordon has selected another one of her favorite mentor texts for kindergarten that build character and support school climate.  Knowing how to Persist (aka Persistence) is an important life skill. It is necessary for achieving goals and solving problems. The six Mentor Texts in this set introduce students to Persistence and the related traits of Resilience, Stamina, and Flexibility.  In addition, they cover problem-solving strategies and planning.

Persistence is the determination to achieve a goal in spite of difficulties, problems, or delays. The goal may be something to accomplish/achieve or a problem to be solved. Persistence is necessary for success in school and life.

Persisting requires more than “sticking-to-it.” Our students need to also acquire the character traits of resilience, flexibility, and stamina. They need a set of problem-solving strategies:  creating a plan, maintaining focus on the task, monitoring progress in achieving the steps in the plan, knowing when to seek assistance, and making changes when needed. Some plans are complex while others are simple.

Summary Background for the Teacher for Trying by Kobi Yamada

The young boy wants to be a sculptor, a goal so ambitious he does not and could not understand the difficulties he will encounter. He is fortunate, however, to have a guide through this lifelong process, the accomplished sculptor whose work initially inspired him. The sculptor tells him that he will learn by “simply doing it.” The boy’s self-doubt is immediate, expressed in “I can’t.” He wants to watch so he won’t mess up. The sculptor advises him there’s less to learn from watching and that we learn from our failures. The young boy tries but is quickly discouraged. He makes a series of attempts, followed by frustration, quitting, and trying again. The story reveals how he learns to persist, making progress as he keeps trying. To show that failure teaches us valuable lessons, the old sculptor takes the boy to a garden filled with the sculptor’s own early failures. He tells the young boy that he considers them his friends. The young boy becomes a sculptor who passes the gift of inspiration on to another child.

The Message for Students

The story shows that “When we make it safe to fail, we make it safe to succeed.” It demonstrates the importance of seeking help from a supportive adult when our goal is ambitious and will take a long time to accomplish. Ambitious goals require us to persist, to build stamina over time, to be willing to learn from our failures, and to listen to the guidance that adults provide.

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