ETC Phoenix School's 5 Pillars of Excellence: Pillar #3, Perseverance

There is no obstacle too great that perseverance cannot overcome. ETC Phoenix Students learn this early on at ETC Phoenix School and it is awe-inspiring to see the things that they achieve.

If you do a search for the word "Perseverance", you will be inundated with motivational quotes and images saying things like, "Get knocked down nine times, Get up ten" and "It always seems impossible, until it's done." As cheesy as some of these can be at times, they are usually spot on with their messages of perseverance. But what is Perseverance, really?

Perseverance is, in simple terms, the achievement of a goal regardless of difficulty, obstacles or attempts.

Being a child of the 1980's (yes, the students remind me that I'm "old" almost daily, haha), I was raised with the inspirational rationale that "I could do ANYTHING that I set my mind to." This was a disheartening illusion for many people of my generation, because they weren't also taught about failure and perseverance.

Many people get discouraged when they fail for the first time. This leads to one of three things: They Quit, They Change Direction or They Try Again. My students know that these three things lead to very different outcomes. Quitting only leads to a premature end to the intended goal with nothing to show for the effort. Changing direction can still lead to success in other endeavers if it is not a consistent choice. However, it can also lead to the demise of the orignal goal if you never return for another attempt. Trying again is the only choice for success.

Obviously, you can't just keep trying the same thing, the same way and hoping for a different result; but if we learn from our failures, we can use this newfound wisdom in our subsequent attempts and persevere all the way to success!

So, in conclusion, PERSEVERANCE is at the heart of everything that we teach at ETC Phoenix School because we want our students to be successful not just in their careers, but also as human beings. Being a GOOD PERSON with the ability to overcome whatever life brings your way will always lead you to a GOOD LIFE and that is the BEST thing that we can wish for our students.

All My Love and God Bless,

Dr. Frank Munroe

Founder/Director/STEAM Teacher

ETC Phoenix School

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" ~ Galatians 6:9