Facing an Obstacle - and Managing Through

Our fifth grade class traditionally embarks on an adventure at the end of the school year. This year we changed things up and sent our students on an early challenge. I have written about the importance of facing and overcoming obstacles here a few times and this topic is at the center of many discussions on NPR, education blogs and TED talks.
We believed there is no better way than to have students face these obstacles quite literally - by visiting an aerial obstacle course. Our fifth graders were excited, but when it came to facing the obstacles it did take encouragement by the group, bravery, believe in themselves and resilience to successfully manage the course!
We plan to refer back to this experience throughout the year with the students to encourage these traits in all kinds of situations. Not to give up if things seem difficult and working hard on managing through a tough situation are important qualities necessary to be successful. The following link describes how the right attitude can make a significant difference even in math.
persistence
It does not take a trip to the aerial obstacle course to develop these skills (but it surely is fun!), our lives are full of small and save challenges where we as educators and parents can take a step back, or just wait a little longer before we help a child. Many times you may be surprised how much they can do, if we give them the encouragement to try one more time!