The Magnificent Minds of Children
“There’s no such thing as failure, only results.”
Carol Dweck, a professor at Stanford University coined the theory of growth mindset. This theory categorizes human learning and intelligence patterns into two categories – fixed mindset and growth mindset.
Fixed mindset is when individuals consider that their abilities and talents are constrained to a fixed set. On the other hand, when individuals believe that they can improve their abilities, intelligence and talents through their efforts, it is termed as a growth mindset.
“It’s not that I’m so smart. It’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s I used to say, “I’m average at everything!”- average skier, average academically, average softball player. I used to struggle with this intermediate performance level; this word.
In Long Beach, I would be the kid who would ride her bike to a Bobby Sox softball tournament, get assigned to play for two innings only, and then spend the entire rest of the game on the bench. One day, I asked my mom to see me play in a game. She came, but only saw me sitting on the bench. Super frustrating! I cried and then finally conjured up the nerve to approach my coach and ask, “Can I play more? After all, my mom didn’t come all this way to see me sit on a bench!” I shook as I spoke so forcefully.
This was the 70’s, self advocacy was the only way to get myself heard. These were the days when parents pushed their kids out of the house after breakfast with the sole request to return by dinner. There was a delightful freedom with this parenting technique; no cell phones, no tracking - just, I suppose, trust.
My Bobby Sox game was held at El Dorado Park,a bike ride distance of just under 5 miles. (30 min each way.) I was in Middle School and was quite motivated to participate in something other than my local Whaley Park Parks and Rec tournaments, for which I was heavily involved and grateful for(The coach there, Coach Robbie, taught me everything about Growth MindSet … we just didn’t know that THAT is what it was called at the time!) Self registering for the Bobby Sox league and transporting myself on a bicycle required persistence and determination. (But I didn’t know that THAT is what it was called at the time.) What I DID know was that my friends belonged to the league so I wanted to as well.
I joined for many years, but, looking back, it was that first year, the one spent on the bench, that taught me the most valuable lessons. You see, once I spoke up about my mom seeing me sit on the bench, my coach realized that she wasn’t coaching with equanimity but rather for predictable outcomes. She didn’t coach for greater outcomes.
Greater Outcomes? WHAT?? I don’t understand.
“Nothing is IMPOSSIBLE. The word itself already says it: I’M POSSIBLE!”
The moment I spoke with the coach about my bench warming routine from the 3rd inning on, she altered the line-up. She gave me a chance. The moment I could believe I was a tad more than average was the moment my body started moving toward improving my softball skills.
There was one particular catch that stopped everything and everyone took notice. I was in center field and a fly ball was hit my way. I ran toward the ball and simultaneously extended my arm (with Elastigirl enthusiasm - by the way, you gotta see this clip from the movie: Incredibles. It’s awesome!) and leaped into the air.
I felt like I was flying. The world moved in slow motion. (I think I heard a John Williams soundtrack from a Steven Spielberg movie). I reached with my left arm and extended my glove toward the flying ball.
I heard it before I could see or feel it. I heard a solid snap-thud of the ball hitting my glove. I landed by falling and rolling onto the ground upon my back. I immediately threw my gloved hand up into the air to indicate to EVERYONE that I had made the catch successfully.
I had made the 3rd OUT of the inning - stopping a potential home run from occurring. My mom heard the coach say, almost under her breath, “Well, that came out of nowhere.”Not even a “way to go!” or an “atta girl,” just a surprised low enthusiastic statement made within earshot of my mom.
Meet the Robinsons
Failure - Keep Moving Forward!
(Meet the Robinsons - again. Sorry. I love this movie!)
But this did not stop me.
Nor did it stop my coach; you see, it was her lesson too.
She ended up playing me more giving me more field time. By the end of the season, I was awarded the trophy, “Most Improved Player”. Later, I would look back at this time and think, “I wonder who improved the most? Me or my coach?
“It is hard to fail but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
The following strategies and tips can help educators foster a growth mindset in the classroom:
Normalize struggle.
Encourage engagement with challenges.
Embrace the word “yet.”
Tout the value of hard tasks for the brain.
Demonstrate mistakes and celebrate corrections.
Set goals.
Develop cooperative exercises.
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
To keep on growing in life you have to keep on learning from things that happen around you. Many people are of the opinion that learning stops after you complete your education. But it is not so! A growth mindset can help convince you otherwise.
We are learning and growing every moment. Learning is only effective when we start implementing the wisdom and knowledge we gain in our lives.
We are seeking tweens and teens between ages 10-18 years of age.
This series of workshops is designed for 5 sessions.The last session will be a family/parent session.
(We have chosen specific sessions between Jan 5 - Feb 11 sans the MLK Jr. holiday.)
Students Will Learn About and Practice:
Mindfulness and the Five Senses
Mindful Eating; Taking a Mindful Bite Practice
Dropping-In Mindfulness Practice
Body Scan Mindfulness Practice
Sitting Mindfulness Practice
Mindful Walking and Movement
Yoga and/or Mindful Movement Practice
Heartfulness Mindfulness Practice
All practices will be introduced at the studio and some will be assigned for home.
“Look for the good in every situation, seek the valuable lesson in every setback, look for the solution to every problem. Think and talk continually about your goals.”
