We can make the future bright through gritty steps

The old Timbuk3 song said, “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.” As a principal, I am very confident that we call all agree that we want a bright future for our young people. The facts are that we can all have a bright future and need to wear shades if you take care of our most important body part, our brain.

A well functioning brain means a well functioning body. This is pretty easy to understand. We all expect a student to do better when their brain is working well than when their brain is not working well. So, how do we ensure that our brain is healthy?

That is where we must know and understand grit. Grit is a catchy word that describes a person who doesn’t quit in their learning. They understand that their brain, like a muscle, gets better with struggle. Gritty people understand that they may not be very good at something and they may even fail at a task, but that failure can be temporary if they persist.

At Libby Elementary School we are working hard to teach kids that their thinking affects their learning. Effort plus good strategies plus help from others equals a growing brain. The formula seems easy, but we now know through hard science that it really works.

So, how are we teaching our students and children to think well? It is a vitally important question because it will be the largest contributing factor to their success and well-being.

The brain functions well with plenty of sleep, so it is important for parents to establish a bed-time. Children require between eight and 12 hours of sleep per night, eight hours is a minimum. Also, a healthy body helps brain functions. Children should have a healthy diet and exercises daily, enjoying fresh air whenever possible. Negative thoughts actually decrease brain function and repeated negative thoughts create patterns of negative thinking, children should be taught to have a growth mindset and learn to challenge themselves in order to learn new skills. Grit is a great way to explain a person with a growth mindset.

It is also important to remember that alcohol hurts brain functions, this is a rule for which there are no exceptions.

Remember that a healthy brain makes a healthy human.  Let’s all take a few gritty steps this year.

— Ron Goodman is the principal of Libby Elementary School