John Monfredo: Starting the New School Year and Having Perseverance
Saturday, August 30, 2014
The dictionary defines Perseverance - To persist in a purpose, continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition or a task in the face of obstacles or discouragement.
Let me share part of the speech on this topic and perhaps other students can profit by it.
I spoke about some of the students who I worked with who overcame obstacles in their lives.
I remember as a coach for 13-15 year olds a player who struggled with his playing but loved the game of baseball. He came to me one day and said he was thinking of quitting for he said he wasn’t any good and teammates were making fun of him.
The advice that I gave him was if you want to be good at anything in this world you have to believe in yourself and practice and practice… riding a bike… you fall a lot but you get up and try again…
This boy worked and worked and always stayed for extra practice. Then one day he got the winning hit in a game and after that with lots of confidence in himself he became a good ballplayer… and was admired by his teammates.
Then as a principal I remember one of the students being very shy due to the fact that she spoke very little English and wasn’t treated well by some of her classmates…
I was fortunate enough to have some members of her class befriend her and offer to help her out. This girl worked very hard in her studies and later in life was an honor student in her high school years.
In high school she came to visit me and stated that the turning point in her life was when people believed in her and in turn she believed in herself. She stated, “I was determined to be the best that I could be and I will go to college. AND SHE DID! She became a nurse... Other stories of students overcoming obstacles in their life in the area of health, poverty and being bullied could also be told. Successful people like this former student of mine believed in herself. Remember, half the battle is in our minds. If you are determined and believe you can succeed, you are more than halfway to achieving your goal.
The opposite of confidence is fear. Some of us are afraid of failure. Most of the time fear only exists in our mind. What is lacking is self confidence. Our minds are very powerful, and we get what we focus on. Instead of becoming overwhelmed with fear, focus on success. Visualize yourself being successful.
Whether we like it or not, adversity is part of life. Overcoming adversity is one of the biggest hurdles we face… problems, large and small present themselves to us throughout our whole life… regardless of how sharp, clever or easygoing we are will we encounter struggles, challenges, and at times heart wrenching moments….
Remember…. “It's not how we fall. It's how we get back up again.” Perhaps Actress Julia Roberts said it best; perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.
To overcome obstacles you must persevere. As you continue to grow and consistently work through life’s challenges, you will notice a pattern as you work through challenges and move on to success.
Perseverance is the foundation of great achievers. It is the cornerstone of talent. It is the brother to determination. This determination can be found in every walk of life and in every age. We succeed because we are determined to succeed, not destined to succeed.
Let me mention some of the famous individuals that you heard of that had obstacles in their lives but had the perseverance to move forward:
Jackie Robinson: Was the first black athlete to play major league baseball for he endured racial slurs when he first came up but never gave up. When in the army he was arrested and court-martialed after refusing to give up his seat and move to the back of a segregated bus when ordered to by the driver. He was acquitted of the charges and received an honorable discharge. His courage and moral objection to segregation were precursors to the impact Robinson would have in major league baseball.
Helen Keller: Lost her sight and hearing due to a mysterious fever when she was only 18 months old. She overcame her deafness and blindness to become a strong, educated woman who spoke about, and promoted, women's rights.
Winston Churchill: Overcame a stuttering problem and poor performance in school to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and one of the most influential political leaders of the twentieth century. He was also known for his powerful and rousing speeches especially during WWII.
Wilma Rudolph: The Olympian born prematurely was the 20th of 22 children. She overcame double pneumonia, scarlet fever and polio to become winner of three Gold medals in track at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games.
J.K. Rowling: Born to a poor family; left a bad marriage with a young baby to live on government assistance; wrote her first book about this character that lost his parents and went to the school of magic. The book was turned down by most publishers until Bloomsbury publishing picked it up. Later, she wrote several books staring this same character; need I say more? Yes, the star was Harry Potter.
Tom Edison: Stated, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” He followed almost every unsuccessful venture with a successful idea. The phonograph, the light bulb and the motion picture camera have long been considered his greatest inventions
Determination, resilience, an persistence enabled all of these great people to push past their adversities and prevail… if they could do it, surely all of us can summon the strength and courage to overcome our adversities…. easy answer – is never quit on yourself..
I’d like to end this talk with the following poem:
Don't Quit
When things go wrong as they sometimes will;
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill;
When the funds are low, and the debts are high;
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh;
When care is pressing you down a bit -
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you can never tell how close you are;
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things go wrong that you mustn't quit.
Author Unknown
HAVE A GREAT SCHOOL YEAR!
Related Slideshow: Which Central MA School Districts Spend the Most Per Pupil?
Based on 2012 data from the Massachusetts Department of Education, these are the 25 Central MA school districts--ranked lowest to highest--that spend the most per pupil.
Related Articles
- John Monfredo: School Committee Evaluates Superintendent Boone
- John Monfredo: Bullying Must Be Adressed at Home and in School
- John Monfredo: Suspending Suspensions – A Critical Examination
- John Monfredo: Make Worcester ‘The City That Reads’ on March 3rd
- John Monfredo: An Analysis of New Worcester Public School Data
- John Monfredo: Worcester’s Anti-Bullying Conference
- John Monfredo: Field Testing on PARCC Begins
- John Monfredo: Funding Education—Attend the City Council Meeting on Tuesday
- John Monfredo: School Budget Needs Help From The City
- John Monfredo: Appreciation Week: Thanking Teachers and Nurses
- John Monfredo: Worcester Continues Its Crusade to Address Bullying
- John Monfredo: Nine Years of Engaging Readers in Worcester
- John Monfredo: This School Year Let’s Stop Chronic Absenteeism From Occurring…
- John Monfredo: Reading Week to Summer Reading, Here are Some Ideas
- John Monfredo: Activities Set for “Reading in Our City Week” June 9
- John Monfredo: Class Size Counts
- John Monfredo: Let’s Not Forget to Work on Summer Math Activities
- John Monfredo: School Year to Begin On August 27th for Grades 1-12
- John Monfredo: Is Public Education A Priority in This City?
- John Monfredo: Some Great Ideas for ‘Read Across America Week’
- John Monfredo: Becker College Pres. Gives Stirring MLK Day Speech
- John Monfredo: Let’s Start a ‘Read Across Worcester Week’
- John Monfredo: How to Teach Kids the Importance of Giving Back
- John Monfredo: Worcester’s South High Teaches a Lesson in Giving
- John Monfredo: 10 Ways to Motivate Kids to Do Better in School
Delivered Free Every
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It