Growth Mindset - How will you change your mind?

As New Zealand educators we are going through some significant changes. Change is scary sometimes - we all know that.  We also know of the idiom ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ - the truth is that any area of significant change can feel like a big challenge.  Change challenges us at our core and can leave us feeling vulnerable. So how can we adapt? 

We expect our students to be immersed in change and often our students are far more equipped for change than we are.  We could learn a thing or two about adaptability and embracing challenges from our students.  What is the best way to encourage growth and adaptability? With a growth mindset. And we need to model it ourselves too.  

In a masterclass with Carol Dweck, American Psychologist and professor at Stanford University, one quote really resonated: 

““Mindsets are just beliefs. They’re powerful beliefs, but they’re just something in your mind, and you can change your mind.””

— Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

This is an empowering thought.  Changes are challenging - however we get to change our minds about how we respond to change.  Change is necessary and, when addressing the fact that our education system has not served all of our students, it is actually urgent.  With a growth mindset we can support the kids - because they are the heartbeat in our schools.

Let’s make a conscious choice to change our minds. Let us, as Brene Brown would say ‘embrace the suck’ and move forwards together. We can walk through vulnerability to get to courage. We can face our challenges - with a growth mindset.  It might not be easy (or comfortable) but we must do it in order to best serve the heartbeats of our schools - our students.