I was moved by her words and her passion she so clearly felt behind them. As teachers, and quite frankly as decent human beings, we need to realize the power of our words and how we say them. Tone, context, and many other factors can change how you effect others without even realizing it. Simple positive changes, for example, could be using the phrase "keep practicing, next time you'll get it right" rather than "that's not right, please try again". Combining positive reinforcement with gentle suggestions on how to improve will create a vibe in the classroom that makes students feel like they are constantly improving; constantly moving forward; never stagnate. No one wants a stagnate classroom -- we want active thinkers and positive doers. The minute a student feels like they truly cannot do a math problem or rewrite a sentence so it isn't a fragment is the minute they completely check out. If they do not feel like they have the potential, why would they want to keep trying if they are lead to believe they will continue failing? Keeping in mind the other students in class is also something we as teachers should realize has a huge effect on specific students. How do you think they feel if you are constantly praising other students' work, while telling them they're wrong? Casting a positive, encouraging glow over all of your comments as a teacher will create a better classroom environment. To put it simply, students need to know from the get-go that you will always believe in their potential to understand and learn ANYTHING. They are too young to have that personal "I'm going to force myself to succeed no matter what" mindset; nor is it time for them to think like that yet. They need encouragement and they fully deserve it. As they move on and grow through their lives, hopefully that positive mindset of "not yet" will catch on. Years will fly by, and without them even realizing where it came from, they will be thinking thoughts like "I don't understand college level molecular biology yet, but I will" and "I'm not ready for that full time leadership position at work yet, but I will be". This mindset can start now. We can teach content while teaching life skills and perseverance. Taking the time to polish your words and create a positive classroom vibe where anything is possible is worth it. Instilling this motivation in students may be even more important than them remembering every single word on their vocab list, because it is a mindset that will set them up for success for years to come. We as teachers cannot simply preach this idea, but we must practice it ourselves too. Students learn from example. They need to see that their teacher is fearlessly approaching the tasks life hands her with a growing, positive glow of "not yet". Giving the power of "not yet" creates fearless, motivated learners.
Wow! I love your idea that teachers must practice the growth mindset, too. That's a powerful thing, even though it's sometimes difficult to do that since we are supposed to be the "experts" at the front of the room. It can be scary, but in the end, I can't help believing that it's also worthwhile.
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