I don't really like that quote because I believe it leaves several other factors that allow for people to excel.
But practice, and especially consistent practice, is essential for success. There is a reason that people studying karate practice punching hundreds of times everyday.
The problem comes when you have kids who don't enjoy practicing. It is the teacher's job to get the motivated and to make activities fun and exciting, but that is not always enough.
A few years ago I had a student who was positive in her outlook about school, but she was reluctant and lacked confidence. She was writing very little at the time. I tried to encourage her at school, but she was not improving as much as I believed she could.
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| Before |
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| After |
With some encouragement and (a lot of help from her parents who made sure she was writing at home) this girl went from writing a few sentences per journal entry to now writing two or more pages.
But it wasn't only the volume that increased; her sentences are now more detailed, she is developing her own voice, and most importantly for me, her entries flow and make more sense.
The best part about this particular student is that I stopped having to hound her for her journal, after a while she was hounding me to have me check it!
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