I’ve recently begun this weekly post where I’ll be sharing resources I’m adding to The Best Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources or other related “Best” lists:

Supreme Court Justice Justice Sotomayor spoke about the value of mistakes in a recent commencement address. I’m adding it to The Best Posts, Articles & Videos About Learning From Mistakes & Failures.

Does Mindfulness Actually Work in Schools? is from The Atlantic. One of these days I’ve got to make a “Best” list about mindfulness…

I posted a few pieces on the importance of students having a purpose for learning. Mindset Scholars has pulled together a nice related research brief.

Teaching ‘grit’ is bad for children, and bad for democracy appeared in Aeon. I think it’s a bit “over the top,” but does make some good points. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning About The Importance Of “Grit”

Michelle Obama’s commencement address at City College of New York offers a great perspective on grit. You can read the entire transcript here. Here’s one of the highlights:

And, graduates, you all have faced challenges far greater than anything I or my family have ever experienced, challenges that most college students could never even imagine. Some of you have been homeless. Some of you have risked the rejection of your families to pursue your education. Many of you have lain awake at night wondering how on Earth you were going to support your parents and your kids and still pay tuition. And many of you know what it’s like to live not just month to month or day to day, but meal to meal.

But, graduates, let me tell you, you should never, ever be embarrassed by those struggles. You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages. And I know that because I’ve seen it myself, not just as a student working my way through school, but years later when I became — before I came to the White House and I worked as a dean at a college.

In that role, I encountered students who had every advantage –- their parents paid their full tuition, they lived in beautiful campus dorms. They had every material possession a college kid could want –- cars, computers, spending money. But when some of them got their first bad grade, they just fell apart. They lost it, because they were ill-equipped to handle their first encounter with disappointment or falling short.

But, graduates, as you all know, life will put many obstacles in your path that are far worse than a bad grade. You’ll have unreasonable bosses and difficult clients and patients. You’ll experience illnesses and losses, crises and setbacks that will come out of nowhere and knock you off your feet. But unlike so many other young people, you have already developed the resilience and the maturity that you need to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and keep moving through the pain, keep moving forward. You have developed that muscle.

Here’s the video of her entire speech:

I’m adding this info to the Best “grit” list.