Growth Mindset: Beyond School

Something that I think is so fascinating about the growth mindset to learning, and learning in general, is that it is so much deeper than what we face in the classroom and in our academic lives. The biggest place in my life that I can think of, other than school, where I have applied such a mindset is when I lead a 7th grade girls small group on Wednesday nights at my church. Obviously, 13 year old girls can be difficult and so can leading them. Because of that simple fact, they don't always understand what you are telling them the first time around, which can be incredibly frustrating. However, the growth mindset is something that has allowed me to consider other possibilities to reach the girls and has proved to be beneficial in the long run.

My own personal photo of my sweet small group

that I enjoy leading every Wednesday night 

here in Norman.

So you might be thinking, how can a church mindset apply in school? I think the answer is quite simple? Just like I had to think outside of the box and stretch my options in leading a small group, it is quite possible to do the same thing in a classroom setting. Instead of getting frustrated when I can't think of what to write for a paper or how to do an assignment for one of my education classes, I think a great mindset to have is that of "not yet" but that it will come. In other words, just because I don't understand it yet or I don't have any ideas yet, doesn't mean that I won't later. Using such a mindset in my school and academic life will also greatly limit the amount of unnecessary stress that I sometimes feel like I am under.