The Gift of Growth

By. Teresa Marchant

As my adult children headed off to college, I felt a need to organize their rooms.  I came across a bunch of ribbons, certificates, and even a few trophies. I wondered if I should keep them and if they meant anything to my children? Some I believe did, others were just given to them just for participating. 

This is a touchy subject for some parents and educators. Should everyone receive an award even if they didn’t win? In reality, not everyone wins or makes the team. I believe the focus should be on helping our children set goals and offer support to achieve them. This will help our own children and the students we teach to learn the importance of a growth mindset.

This can be a very hard concept to teach to high achieving students. I remember the first time I didn’t pass a test. I was crushed! How was it possible that I, a student who studied all the time, didn’t do well? It was a hard lesson for me to learn, even more so when I was in college. I was horrified when I received my first B! As I reflected on this, I learned something about myself.  I didn’t quit, in fact, it made me try even harder! There are valuable lessons that can be learned when students struggle or fail.

These valuable life lessons need to be taught and supported. I once heard that failing is defined as the “First Attempt In LearnING”. I like this explanation because it demonstrates the purpose of a growth mindset. We never want to hurt our children, however by explicitly teaching these growth concepts they can learn how to lose gracefully, being happy for those that win, and learn that not everything needs to be a competition!

As you help your students set goals this year, reinforce the concept of growth. All your students will learn at various speeds.  It will be extremely important to have weekly check-ins to monitor their progress. This will also give you an opportunity to have a conversation and validate their achievements. Small rewards and words of affirmation may help motivate students to reach learning milestones. Tracking progress also let’s them see the growth they have made throughout the year. As you learn and grow this school year, you will see small and large progress.  As a class you can have fun celebrating their achievements and their progress. The sense of community will also grow as they learn to be genuinely happy for others. This is a quality many in our society lack, but can be achieved-even in the classroom!