Starting The Year With A Growth Mindset

The bell rings, and the pitter patter of little feet come charging across the blacktop as eager children search for friendly faces and the smile of their teacher in early September.  The kids file into the classroom, hang up their backpacks, chat with a friend about the soccer practice at Sammamish Park the night before, and sit down to begin the day.

As the kids take a seat, they can have a range of emotions occurring at once.  Some students are excited, nervous, filled with anticipation and others are worried about making new friends. They may wonder where they will sit at lunch, who will be their partner in class, and if the work will be really hard.  Highly Capable students may have some added concerns about success and the possibility that they may make a mistake if a task requires sustained effort and persistence over time.  This is why it is especially important to talk about growth mindset at the beginning of the year, and encourage learning rather than grades at home.

A growth mindset is the belief that abilities, intelligence, and talents can be developed through effort, practice, and perseverance. Rather than seeing challenges as obstacles, students with a growth mindset view them as opportunities to learn and grow. In SAGE and PEP, we encourage students to embrace difficult tasks, ask questions, and take academic risks. Growth happens when students move beyond what they already know and engage in learning that stretches their thinking.  This can be hard for all people, but especially so for highly capable students. 

I also notice that many of the students who walk through my door hate making mistakes and want everything to be perfect all the time; they suffer from perfectionism  Sometimes they freeze and refuse to do an assignment independently, other kiddos are afraid to raise their hand in case they get an answer wrong. When this happens, I praise participation rather than the correct answer.  When students are used to finding schoolwork easy, they may avoid tasks that feel difficult or fear making mistakes in front of others. However, I want students to understand that mistakes are a natural and valuable part of learning. Every inventor, scientist, artist, and leader has experienced setbacks along the way. By helping students understand that struggle is a sign of growth rather than failure, we can build resilience and confidence that will serve them throughout their lives.

Families play an important role in fostering a growth mindset at home. Praise effort, persistence, problem-solving, and creativity rather than focusing on grades or outcomes such as "You made it into SAGE" or "You are the top scorer in Math Olympiad."  Encourage conversations about challenges and setbacks instead by asking questions such as, "What did you learn today?" or "What was something that challenged you?" These discussions help children recognize that learning is a process and that growth often comes from persevering through difficulties.  Also, it should be noted that parents can model that you are okay with making mistakes, and that you learn and grow as an adult too. 

It may be difficult to not swoop in and save your child while they are struggling at school, whether it be a social situation where friends are fighting or emailing a teacher because of a grade on an essay.  However, before you try to solve the problem for the child, ask,  "What benefits does the child have by learning to solve the problem on their own first?" For example, if the student struggles in a social situation, can the difficult situation teach the child learn to work with difficult people at work?  If there is a friendship conflict, could that teach the lesson on picking friends based on their character rather than popularity?  If your child does not do well on a test or essay, could that teach the student how to study more for an exam or not wait until the last minute on an essay?

As we begin this school year together, our goal is to create a classroom community where curiosity is celebrated, mistakes are welcomed as learning opportunities, and every student feels empowered to take on new challenges. When students understand that their abilities can grow through effort and experience, they are more willing to step outside their comfort zones and discover what they are truly capable of achieving.

Reflection Questions for Students

• What is something new you hope to learn this year?
• What is a challenge you are willing to try?
• How can you remind yourself that mistakes help you grow?
• What does persistence look like when learning becomes difficult?