What do you think of when you hear
the words, True Grit? Maybe a 1969 John Wayne film or the 2010 remake with Jeff
Bridges and Matt Damon.
Today I am not talking about
movies, I am however, going to talk about grit and true grit and also about
fixed mindset vs. growth mindset. Having grit can be described as having
courage and a strong sense of character. Having true grit shows that you have a
passion for what your doing or learning and that you will work hard to
accomplish your goals, even when there hard or take longer than you
thought.
A person that is gritty has a
growth mindset. When things get hard they do not quit. Children that quit when things
get hard have a fixed mindset. Can you help a child with a fixed mindset change
their thinking to a growth mindset? The answer is yes!
Children with growth mindsets
believe they can. They believe that they can grow their intelligence through
hard work and good teaching.
Children with fixed mindsets quit
as soon as effort has to be made. They believe if they have to work hard then
they are not smart.
Every child is different from the
very beginning. We see differences in how the learn. Some are hands on
learners, some are good at memorization, some love to read or to do math. No
matter what kind of learner your child is, we want them to have a growth
mindset.
The photo above was taken in 2008
while on vacation in San Francisco. The oldest, on the left, always did well in
school, towards the top of the class all through elementary school. He did well
in middle school too, but he never put in the effort. A fixed mindset, yes! He
was sure that he did well enough in school without putting in any effort and he
was happy with that.
The second child, on the right, a
genius! He went straight to chapter books in second grade. He did so good on
his testing, but I couldn't get the kid to turn in an assignment. He has the
most natural ability and the least amount of motivation.
The youngest has said repeatedly, I
learned from watching my brothers. In Kindergarten she was average in reading.
I almost cried when she started first grade and tested into Set 1 Book 1 in
Reading For All Learners. Her teacher, who had taught both the boys, reassured
me that she would be okay. By the time she hit middle school she had already
decided her mindset. She chose to work hard. She watched her brothers and
learned from them what not to do. She did not have the natural ability or
charisma of her brothers, but she had true grit. She had the desire and passion
to work hard. She graduated from high school with a 4.0. Her brothers both had
the ability, but they did not have the grit.
Now she has a scholarship to pay
for college and her brothers are wishing that they had tried harder in school.
They, like me, often learn the hard way, because we have a fixed mindset.
To become a professional at
something, it has been said that you need 10,000 hours of practice. That is
about 20 hours a week for 10 years. That is true grit, true passion, to work
hard and to reap the benefits of that hard work.
We need to teach our children that
effort is a good thing. That just because something is not easy, that it does
not mean they should quit. We can find ways to make learning fun, but effort is
required. Effort should not be a word we are afraid of. We should embrace
effort.
When a child is confronted with a
problem they think is hard, they may feel anxious. Those anxious feelings may
make the child want to shut down. We need to encourage them that they can do
whatever task is at hand. It might not be easy, but with time and practice, it
is possible.
A survey of students in the U.S.
Spelling Bee showed that the more hours of deliberate practice you put in
predicts your ranking in the Spelling Bee.
This applies to all aspects of our
lives. We need to be deliberate in our efforts. As parents, we need to be
deliberate in helping our children develop a growth mindset.
If you are interested in
learning more about growth mindset, may I suggest reading, The Energy Bus by
Jon Gordon. There is one for adults and one for kids. They talk about positive
mindset and motivation.
