The Virtue of Perseverance by Brooklyn B.

At the end of each school year, fifth graders at Archway Glendale are asked to write a speech about one of the nine virtues they have learned during their elementary education at Great Hearts. Today, we will explore the virtue of Perseverance as written by rising sixth grader, Brooklyn B.

Hi. My name is Brooklyn and I will be speaking to you about the virtue of perseverance.

Life gives us many challenges. For instance, we may deal with heavy workloads and sickness. There are many other examples of difficulties in life. It is our personal character that gets us through life’s difficulties. Specifically, it is our perseverance that gets us through life’s troubles. Perseverance is to strive to complete tasks to the best of our ability, regardless of the difficulty.

We have seen examples of people persevering in our curriculum. In the Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, we read the example of Colin showing perseverance through his walking disability. He noticed that he was focusing on the wrong things and at times it made him angry. He soon welcomed the encouragement from his friends as he accomplished his goal to eventually walk. His change of attitude, courage, and determination helped him persevere.

We also see perseverance in history. There were many hardships on the Oregon Trail. For instance, wagons broke down, people died, and there was cholera. Pioneers were determined to settle the land and achieved their goal. Perseverance was shown many times on the Oregon Trail.

The scholars at Archway Glendale show many virtues including perseverance. However, this example will be about my own personal experience. I struggled through many areas in math. Sometimes I would let my emotions get the best of me. But even through my struggles, a good thing happened. My perspective on trials changed. I was able to “boss my brain” as Mrs. Schlofman likes to say.  Because of the help and support from my teachers and parents, I was able to recognize that I can do hard things. I now desire to get through trials with tenacity and persistence.

I have heard from many of my friends that Glendale Prep requires hard work. Archway has taught us how to work hard and achieve our goals. I will strive to get through those tasks to the best of my ability. We will continue to show our Golden Eagle spirits as we soar on to be a Griffin. I hope our class will continue to show perseverance in the upcoming years at Glendale Prep.

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jason.moore@greathearts.org.