Mar. 22, 2012
Article from HomeTown Life
“As it neared the top of the grade, which had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly. However, it still kept saying, “I-think-I-can, I-think-I-can.” It reached the top by drawing on bravery and then went on down the grade, congratulating itself by saying, “I thought I could, I thought I could.”
As children, we learned about the Little Engine that could because it had positive thinking or as teachers at Thurston would say, a growth mindset. In fact, each teacher at Thurston has been reading the book Mindset by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck. As Dweck explains in the book, “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work — brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
Doctor Chen, science teacher, learned about the idea of mindset through working with the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. He read an article by Dweck entitled The Promises and Perils of Praise, and discovered how teachers and parents should reinforce the idea that students should strive for “working hard” rather than trying to “be smart.” He then brought the idea to our teachers who then found it so exciting that they had to pass it on to us, the student body, whether we liked it or not. Although I may not be as “geeked” as the teachers about this whole Mindset business, I must admit that it does make sense.
“Working with Mr. Simms, we decided that it would be in the best interest of the school to do a workshop on mindset with the entire staff as well as with the student body. Over the course of the year, we have been working through Dweck's book “Mindset” and discussing how mindset impacts student achievement in our classrooms,” said Doctor Chen.
In flex hour, all Thurston students learned that two mindsets exist: fixed and growth. In the fixed mindset, we as students may blame low achievement in math on the excuse that we just are not good at math. We may even suffer from a low effort syndrome. If I do not try, I can blame failure on a lack of effort rather than ability. In a fixed mindset, we may want to be flawless. Since mindsets are part of our personality, we can change them. Thurston teachers believe all students can succeed and want to move all of us towards the growth mindset. If we fail, we need to study harder.
As Dweck explains about a growth mindset, “You believe you can develop yourself, you're open to accurate information about your current abilities, even if it's unflattering.”
You can't always start at the top, but instead must work hard for it. You must push yourself to believe you can do it. You're always going to be the toughest critic on yourself, but that's okay. At one point in my life, I was at an all-time high. From kindergarten to fifth grade, I was always on top of everything; simply because I knew I could do well. Even when I did poorly, I knew things could and would get better. I was an honor roll student the whole time. Some beg to argue it's because the work was so easy. If that is true, everybody throughout elementary school would be on the honor roll. The real reason I did so well is because I had a growth mindset.
A person with this mindset believes they can always do better even when they are doing well already. They always push themselves knowing things will get better. I learned to think that way, but when I got to middle school, things began to get harder. While I tried to keep the growth mindset attitude, eventually the workload broke me down. My grades dropped; I got into trouble in and out of school; I often had “talks” with my mom and step dad. I did not think my grades would change.
I didn't know it then, but I had exchanged my growth mindset for a fixed mindset. I did not think I could do anything to change my reality. For me, it meant I just had bad luck, things did not go right for me, and it was not anyone's fault. As I approached the move to high school, I began to try to recapture what had made me successful in elementary school. I told myself that no matter what happened, to just do better. I forced and pushed my way to get back on top. I knew what it was like to be there and I wanted nothing but the best for myself. Every year since my freshmen year, I have progressed. I am more responsible and my grades improved each year. I am back on the honor roll and I am currently the student of the month. I try to show my friends that working hard is powerful, and knowing that you are in control is the true ticket to success.
Article from Home Town Life
