The Growth Mindset Chapter 1

 The Best We Can Be 

        I found many things I read in this chapter to be interesting, but a few really stood out to me. At the beginning of chapter one, it starts off talking about losing hope. the crisis we face today is that forty percent of students in school don't think they have a great future ahead of them. Which is also considered to be a "fixed" mindset. Along with that, only thirty-three percent of students felt they had a mentor who encouraged them. whether that's a parent, counselor, teacher, or coach. That leaves an astonishing seventy-seven percent of students who feel like they have no one in their lives to help them grow and motivate them which I find really sad. I think the education program needs to do a better job of showing kids we can help them and be there for them to grow. I feel today kids don't trust teachers today or they are just too scared to ask for help. 

        I do believe that establishing a growth mindset in yourself first does play a role in your ability to help others grow as well. I also that when it comes to helping children or anyone in general it doesn't matter how much you know about a growth mindset, if the person you are trying to help doesn't want help or doesn't put any effort into their work they can't grow. I mean you can't do the work for them and magically change how they think. Yes having that growth mindset helps you more in understanding them and trying to find ways to help them, but at the end of the day, it is their choice whether or not they want to change into that growth mindset. 

    Lastly, the part about what matters most stuck out to me a lot. In my current job as a coach, I can have 5 different stations to help these kids grow stronger, but if it isn't fun for them they get distracted, lie around, talk with others instead of work, and try their best to get out of doing the work. I have to try and find ways to make the stations I do at work hard and challenging yes, but also so much fun that they enjoy doing it and can't wait for more. The same applies to teaching, even more so I would assume. Working in a gym is completely different than a classroom. a gym is built and designed to be fun and teach at the same time whereas a classroom is not. I know for a fact when I was in high school I would always get so bored with all the assignments and not pay much attention. I think it is very important that a classroom yes of course does work and meets its benchmarks but in the most fun way possible so the kids are engaged and actively learning and enjoying it at the same time.