A Special Message for Minnesota Educators and MCTM Attendees!

India White • April 25, 2025

Special Message for MCTM Attendees!

MCTM 2025 - A Special Message for Minnesota Math Educators

Dear Amazing MCTM Participants,

First, I want to say how deeply sorry I am that I couldn't join you in person at this year's Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics (MCTM) conference. I was truly looking forward to connecting, learning, and growing alongside each of you. Even though I can't be there, I still wanted to send you a virtual hug and share a little teaser that could spark BIG change in your classrooms: the **G.R.I.T. Framework!

What is G.R.I.T.?

G.R.I.T. stands for Great Resilience In Time — a transformative framework I created to empower students and educators to break free from the old "sit and get" models of education.

It's not just a mindset. It's a movement.

Through G.R.I.T., students experience learning without guilt, anxiety, or fear — especially in metacognition. They learn to love the process of thinking, struggling, and succeeding on their own terms.

The 4 Pillars of G.R.I.T.

🌱 Growth Mindset

Students are taught that mistakes are an essential part of learning. Every misstep is a setup for a comeback.

💪 Resilience

We don't shy away from productive struggle. We celebrate it. Students build emotional strength through reflection, retrying, and perseverance.

🧠 Self-Efficacy

Students believe that their abilities can grow with effort. They recognize their own potential and gain the courage to take academic risks.

🕒 Time Management

Students manage their own learning pace, giving themselves the grace to think deeply without unnecessary pressure.

How G.R.I.T. Aligns with Peter Liljedahl’s Building Thinking Classrooms

Dr. Peter Liljedahl's work encourages us to create environments where students are free to think, explore, and collaborate without rigid restrictions.

G.R.I.T. supercharges this process by embedding growth, resilience, self-efficacy, and time management into the very fabric of the classroom.

Together, G.R.I.T. + BTC allow educators to:

- Break traditional classroom "rules"

- Center the learning process, not just the answer

- Foster true independence and critical thinking

- Remove shame and anxiety from the learning journey

Bottom Line: Through G.R.I.T., you can truly set students free to FLOW — courageously, confidently, and creatively.

Ready to Get Gritty with Me?

I'm so excited to connect with you beyond MCTM! Here's how you can dive deeper into building GRITTY classrooms:

🔗 Explore Books, Blogs, GRIT Trainings, and More:

Visit: www.india-white.com

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