Lower School News

List of 2 news stories.

  • Perseverance and Grit

    Brian Peters, Head of Lower School
    The seasons are changing. In the north, winter will be giving way to spring, while our very short spring will give way to summer. College basketball and March Madness will soon be completed and we will be in baseball season. In schools, we are entering what many call Testing Season.  Schools across the country will be administering standardized tests and here at Trinity we will do the same starting the end of April with the administration of the ERB test.  

    I can remember so many decades ago when I took the California Achievement Test and would receive a grade level equivalent score. I may have been in the fourth grade, but my grade level equivalent score for some content area might have been 6.2, or sixth grade second month. I recall how this made me feel like a big shot!

    I am sharing this because I recently read an article that shared about the prediction of future success for students. The article gave an argument that the greatest predictor of future success is not intelligence, or the measure of intelligence. The most reliable predictor of future success is the level of perseverance or grit in a student.

    There was a very popular book years ago written by Angela Duckworth titled Grit.  Dr. Duckworth defined grit as passion and perseverance toward long term goals. In her research this characteristic of grit continually appeared in high achieving individuals.  

    So, if that is the key to success, how do we foster it in our students? We want our students to be successful, let’s help them build up their perseverance and grit.

    We must be role models. We need to take on challenges and even make mistakes ourselves, but do not give up the quest.

    We must model and teach about commitment. When we agree to or decide to do something we must follow through. We can’t back out when it becomes too hard or inconvenient. We need to show that our commitments and/or lack of follow through impacts trust and relationships with other people.

    We need to let our children struggle. Everything in life is not easy and when cannot and should not remove all of the obstacles. I like to say that we need to “let our children fall down and scrape their knees once in a while.”

    We should continually praise the efforts of our children, but do so specifically. Don’t just give a generic “good job.” Be specific with praise and encouragement by commenting on what exactly the child did well.

    Duckworth developed the following equation that spells it out.
    talent x effort = skill 
    skill x effort = achievement

  • Lower School Art

    First Grade Art Students studied Pablo Picasso and created a self portrait in the Cubist style he co-founded in 1909.
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    • Yearbook 2025

The yearbook is currently in production, and we expect delivery in early May! A limited number of copies are still available, so don’t wait to grab yours. Not sure if you’ve already reserved a copy? You can easily verify your order at yearbookforever.com before making a purchase.

Lower School Calendar

List of 7 events.

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All School Calendar

List of 12 events.

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Trinity School of Midland

3500 West Wadley Avenue, Midland Texas 79707 - Email: info@trinitymidland.org - Phone: (432) 697-3281 - Fax: (432) 697-7403 -
© 2019 Trinity School. All Rights Reserved.
© 2019 Trinity School. All Rights Reserved.