Mindsets

So after reading the article and getting to know my fellow classmates a bit better, I have come to realise that most people have been brought up in a fixed mindset (phew, I am not the only one). But what's remarkable is that all my classmates, myself included can safely say that we are now aware of the consequences of having certain mindsets. It's impossible to change your upbringing and the conditions that you were exposed to growing up but now that you are aware of the way you think, you can consciously more often think about your thinking and the thoughts you have.

For myself, I love learning about this sort of self growth/awareness aspect because it can translate into so many areas of our lives, not just in education. Before learning about this mindset business, I thought I had it all figured out...well I thought I had myself all figured out (ohh the good old days of being in your early 20's) but I could totally see certain behaviours arise whenever change occurred. To make a long story short, I essentially didn't like challenge and yet I craved it at the same time. I didn't like challenge because I was terrified of not succeeding and being seen as inferior. I didn't like the idea of people seeing me "try" because I thought of myself as being "special" and "different"  and one who didn't have to try. Looking back on it now, it was extremely draining living in such a mindset, because you basically were forced to live in this box and never stretch or grow out of it. I think all of this stemmed from my parents and perhaps even some educators telling me I was such a good, smart student in high school and like the article said, I placed all my self worth on that.

Now a days, because this concept has been reintroduced to me, I find myself analysing my automatic thoughts and reactions to when things don't go my way. And I ask myself, am I thinking in a fixed mindset? Am I not taking the risk because of how others will view me? Am I not speaking my opinion in fear of how I may be perceived? etc.

So to tie this back to education, I think the best thing you can do for a student is to create a space where students feel like they can share and ask questions. Praise effort and reinforce that hard work and effort are essential to success, whatever their form of success may be. I think it's crucial to value perseverance and resiliency because when you enter the "real world", you aren't going to be validated by a grade and for some that can be tough to deal with.