When I think about sharing a growth mindset with others, especially in an educational setting, the preoccupation with grades is at the forefront of my list. I have always cared about grades quite a bit and even now it’s hard to let go and not focus on a grade. I’ve been reminding myself quite a bit about this lately with my self-talk. Marianne, does anyone care that you graduated with honors from college? No. Does anyone ask? No. Does anyone know you have A’s in your courses? No. Will it matter once you have your Master’s? No. Do you enjoy working for A’s? No. Should it matter if you earn a B instead of an A? No. Marianne, stop trying so hard for the grade. It doesn’t matter. Thus, this is an important lesson that I can share. Focusing on a grade has always brought me misery. I appreciate when grades are used but when they are done so in conjunction with a growth mindset that offers malleability through the representation of growth in the task at hand. Through experience as a classroom teacher, I know too, that my students have also appreciated times when a grade was representative of a stage of learning and what was yet to be learned; when students have had the opportunity to continue their efforts and increase their knowledge and skills. By sharing my experiences and struggles with focusing on grades instead of learning, I can really make a difference in my students’ mindset.
Another way I can share the growth mindset with students if by modeling the “power of yet” for them. My mindset changed drastically about a decade ago when I realized I could do most anything I put my mind to within reason. It’s not about how smart you are that matters; it’s your grit and tenacity that matter more. I love sharing with my students that I’m not the sharpest tool like a lot of English teachers. (I spent the majority of my college years locked away reading and writing having no time for leisure or to enjoy life.) I’m a terrible speller and I don’t really like writing; however, I’m a hard worker with a positive can-do attitude and that has taken me farther than any smart brain ever could. I love it when my students catch my errors, and I especially love learning from them as we learn as a class from each other.
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