Be Persistent

Today, I just wanted to leave a quick post for your to ponder over the weekend. I wish I could take credit for this brilliant thought, but I can't.  It's from President Calvin Coolidge and it's my very favorite quote of all time. I've had it hanging in my room for at least four years and I read it everyday.  It's a constant reminder that, no matter the obstacle, we should never give up.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.  Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.  Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.  The slogan, 'press on,' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." President Calvin Coolidge

As the school year progresses and begins to wind towards the finish line, as state testing, collegiate testing, and other important milestones start to show up on our calendars, as we begin to grow weary from long days and evenings of hard work, as we begin to think about next year and our ambitions for all it can hold, let us keep these words of wisdom in mind.  Why not share this quote with your students?  Let them dissect and discuss what President Coolidge was stating and why he believed persistence to be of such utter importance.  There are so many layers in this quote that can be taken apart and mulled over.  Every time I read it I think of some new way it applies to my life.  I hope that you find it as inspiring as I have over the years and I hope that you continue to pursue whatever it is in life that you find worth chasing.