Growth Mindset

This year I will be encouraging your child to develop a Growth Mindset. You're probably wondering, what in the world is that? A growth mindset is the idea that our intelligence is not fixed and it's not predetermined by your genetics. It is the belief that anyone can become "smarter" by working hard, challenging himself or herself, learning from mistakes, and not giving up.

What will this look like in the classroom? The first and most important thing that you might see or hear is a student saying, "I can't do this YET." Students will learn early on that we don't say, "I can't do this." The word yet will remind them that learning is a process and that process is just as important as the end result. With a Growth Mindset you will hear me saying things like, "Let's give this another try. I know it was hard the first time," or "Don't worry if you didn't get this right. Let's work on this together until you have a better understanding." You will also hear me use a mantra like, "We all learn from our mistakes and failures."

The next question you might be asking is ,"Why?" I believe that each individual has the power to learn, become, do and be anything they set their mind to. I believe that we all have areas where we are talented and then we have areas that will always need work....and that's ok! We all fail and we will all make mistakes, and that's ok. No one is perfect and it's those mistakes that drive us to try harder, do more, and be more. My hope is that each child will carry with them this mindset and valuable set of skills as they move through life to become successful at everything they set out to do!