Journeys

“What do you think about going to second grade next year?” my principal asked when we met in late March last school year. I was entering my seventeenth year, and having spent the last seven years in a fifth grade classroom, teaching only writing, I was ready for a change. I was a bit apprehensive, but feeling up for a challenge. Why not? She knew I had spent some time in the primary grades way back when. I was a different person back then. A different teacher. Younger. Sharper. Hmmm. In my mind I was thinking… “What do I think about working with second graders?” I’d always heard second grade was the sweet spot. Besides, I’m the one who is always telling myself, and the world, “everything happens for a reason.” Of course, I said, “Yes!” I felt pretty confident I could go change the world again. Maybe, this is exactly what I needed! I’d change the world alright! One second grader at a time. Now, to tell my husband I’d need a really BIG budget for my classroom next year.

Fast forward to the first day of school. My best friend teaches second grade, so I knew everything there was to know about how to teach second grade. Piece of cake. I had it all together. Lesson plans. Check. Final touches to my room. Check. Crayons and a welcome sign. Check. Crisp new folders and fun bookmarks. Check.

9:05 a.m. I proudly mumbled to myself, “I should’ve made this change a long time ago.” 22 minutes later, I knew I didn’t quite have it together after all. I asked Charlie, the cute little seven year old with a shy smile, “What do you want to learn about this year?” I was thinking, this answer will be adorable, I’m sure. I’ll be his favorite teacher EVER! He uttered one small word, “Nothing.” I laughed and said, “No, really, you can tell me. What do you want to learn about this year?” He looked away, crossed his arms and said, “Nothing. I wish I didn’t have to go to school at all.” Wow! That didn’t go how I expected. I wanted to call it a day at 9:27 a.m.

The first month of school was rough. I gave it my all, but students remained quiet, with an obedient nature. This was not my vision. My vision was clear: Students engaged in learning and hungry for challenges. The reality was also clear: They’d do the work, but their hearts weren’t in it. So, I spent a lot of restless nights thinking about how to motivate my students to want to learn.

As I began my work with CTEPS, Classroom Teachers Enacting Positive Solutions, last September, I stumbled upon the idea of growth mindset. I knew very little about the concept. According to Mike Gershon, “Mindsets are the set of beliefs we hold about ourselves and what is possible for us to do. These beliefs underpin and influence our thinking, which, in turn, gives rise to action. When it comes to learning, students may have a growth mindset, a fixed mindset, or a mixture of the two.” After reading Gershon’s book about developing growth mindsets, I knew I had to delve into my own feelings on the topic before I could even think about introducing the idea to my students. It turns out that I have a relatively fixed mindset about learning. So, the question leading my research in the beginning, “If I don’t believe I can learn new things, how can I expect my students to believe they can learn new things?”

I spoke with teachers within my school and surprisingly, very few were clear about the value of promoting growth mindset in students. Sure, they were encouraging students all the time, but as I found out, encouraging words will not change how students see themselves. It really does take a shift in one’s mindset. They must believe in themselves and own the power to make great things happen for themselves. As I read, researched, and watched videos, I felt confident I could lead the way. This was a big deal: helping kids see their value and believe they can in fact learn anything they want. More importantly, they had to be open to the challenges that come along any new learning. If I could instill the value of hard work and the desire to want to achieve their goals, I could impact their mindsets. Maybe my little Charlie would want to come to school afterall.

I created a survey for my students to find out more about their mindset. I needed to gauge their feelings and find a starting place for my work. Most of my students had a fixed mindset about learning. As one student said, “I’m not good at math, and my mom and dad aren’t either.” How many times had I said the same thing? I could relate to how my students were feeling. I was seven once, and I remember feeling confident that I was not as smart as the other kids in my class. I knew I would never be good at math. Whoa! This was going to take some intense work on my part! Changing how students see themselves as learners? I was in deep!

Literature! I knew if I could find the right books, students would make connections that would impact their thinking. I created a book list that included just the right books and started sharing right away. They LOVED the books! There were immediate connections from the first book I read! As their mindsets were changing, so was mine. It was happening right in front of me. Lessons, morning meetings, and even recess activities were focused on the idea of helping students understand their worth as learners.

I carefully chose my words when I interacted with my students. I was specific with my praise, supportive of their strategies, and quick to say, “So, that didn’t work, what’s your plan now?” Not letting them give up. There was a wave of change happening right in front of me. The power of Yet became the foundation of our learning. Learning from their mistakes. The dynamics of our class was shifting. Those reluctant to take risks, were taking risks! Goal-setting had value, and they couldn’t wait to share their achievements.

I was intentional about planning activities that encouraged students to share their thinking. I would ask them to share any mistakes they may have made along the way and then ask, “What did you learn from that mistake?” This allowed students to see mistakes as part of the learning process. I compiled a heap of material to support my goal of promoting growth mindset. Students looked forward to sharing their daily reflections with one another. I often shared my reflections as well.

Connecting with parents was another factor in promoting growth mindset. I put together information for my parents and offered an open invitation for dialogue about the changes going on in our classroom. Parents were very welcoming to the shift. They offered support in many ways. In our classroom, we have a mystery reader every week, generally, a parent or grandparent. I created a resource book bin that included books that supported our cause. Parents shared these books and followed up with conversations and stories about the importance of learning and taking risks. It was powerful to see my work coming from sources other than just me.

Students in my class experienced a drastic change in the way they thought about learning. After surveying students again, I saw a vast improvement in students’ growth mindset. They came to accept mistakes as part of the learning process. Students were thoughtful and reflective about their work. I witnessed students taking risks, encouraging one another, and always making plans for next steps in their learning. I asked Charlie about what he’d like to learn at school once more, and this time he said, “Science. I love science. I’d like to do more of those projects we do in class.” I did it! Many different changes happened with many different students due to my focus on promoting growth mindset, but from one teacher to another, it only takes that one student turnaround to make you feel like you can change the world!