Austin Scholar #104: Why (and how) you should teach your kids grit
& how I taught 500 Ukrainian refugees all day while taking Yale classes at night
Hey, y'all!
This week from Austin Scholar...
Austin’s Anecdote: How I taught 500 Ukrainian refugees all day while taking Yale classes at night
Why (and how) you should teach your kids grit
Scholar’s Sources: What I’ve been up to…
I had a fantastic Presidents’ Day weekend skiing!! My sister decided to grace the ski trip with her presence for the first time in four years, so that was extra fun. There’s honestly nothing I love more than sharing my favorite activities with my favorite person. As I get closer to leaving for college, these moments just become more precious.
I’m actually getting my wisdom teeth taken out this week (another sign of growing up), so I apologize for the shorter newsletter. Definitely ready for the few days of forced relaxation though.
Austin’s Anecdote: How I taught 500 Ukrainian refugees all day while taking Yale classes at night
It was 1:00 AM the night before the first Learn and Earn 500-person Education Jumpstart event that I was planning to lead, and I was wide awake. But not for any reason like nerves or last-minute planning.
I had the very first three-hour Yale Summer Session class of my Readings in American Literature course that night. Because I was in Ukraine at the time, the typically-5:00 PM class turned into a late night, 1:00 AM to 4:00 AM class, spent trying to keep my eyes open while impressing the professor.
In the midst of the class’s discussion on Emily Dickinson’s “I like to see it lap the miles,” I was also going over my speech that I was going to give in front of 500 Ukrainian refugees in just a few short hours.
After that class ended, I got two more hours of sleep before waking up, getting ready, and heading to the Balna for the first day of our event.
That was probably the longest day I’d ever had. I’d gotten around four hours of sleep yet I had to be at my very best – to show these kids how Learn and Earn could change their lives. It was pretty hard, but I knew that it was nothing compared to what the next day would bring.
That night, I came home immediately from the event and passed out at 8:00 PM, knowing I’d be waking up at 1:00 AM for the next Yale class.
During the three midnight hours of discussion, I think my sleep deprivation actually allowed me to be a little more delusional than usual and come up with completely novel interpretations of Dickinson’s poetry, so I suppose I can’t complain.
But the next day of the Learn and Earn event – that was really, really hard.
I felt the exhaustion in my bones, but I didn’t show it. I had a smile on my face and energy in my voice. As y’all know, the event ended up being a momentous success, even with my whole not-sleeping thing.
Both the literature class and the Learn and Earn were activities I was beyond excited about. That I wouldn’t – couldn’t – fail.
How was I able to get through that week? Well, I have learned one simple life skill that got me through it: grit.
Why (and how) you should teach your kids grit
Everyone wants their kid to “have grit,” but no one really knows how to teach it – or how to prove that they have it.
Luckily, I’ve got a few ideas.