A Committed Maker

I heard my colleague say she was a committed maker when asked if she had taken a break for lunch. Being a maker IS all about commitment because it is all about seeking success after multiple iterations. While I don't encourage missing a meal for making, I do love it when you are so in the zone that the pull of the world around you dissolves into the background. Without commitment, we graze from project to project without fulfilling the completion of a task or a goal. Where is the satisfaction in that? Recently we were attempting to make heat-activated slime. When the heat from little hands kneads the dough, it changes colors. We did this in small groups and while some groups were successful on the first or second go, other groups required more stirring, more specific ingredients, or just more time. 

What's the lesson in this? Well, resilience can be built in the unlikeliest of places, one of which is in a slime making laboratory. While watching some peers succeed early on, others are trained to not give up despite the lack of success on the initial try. Resilience breeds commitment. When plans don't go as anticipated, we learn to hang in there. It may ultimately work out. I love the lesson in this. It teaches us when to have a stronger understanding of when to alter course and when to remain on the same path. If third graders don't start building up their well of resilience to see something through until the end, when will they learn the power of patience?