Mindset: How we can learn to fulfill our potential

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about mindsets lately, especially after revisiting some of Dr. Carol Dweck’s work. She spent years studying how kids react when faced with tough challenges. In one of her studies, she gave students extremely difficult puzzles. Some kids got frustrated and gave up right away, which seems pretty normal. But others had this surprising reaction. They leaned forward, smiled, and said things like “I love this challenge.” They didn’t see the difficulty as a sign that something was wrong with them. They saw it as an opportunity.

It made her realize that these kids understood something many adults forget. Our abilities, including intelligence, aren’t fixed. They can grow. They can be strengthened. They are not set in stone.

And yet, how many times do we hear (or say), “I’m just not a math person,” or “He gets his difficulty with math from me.” Kids hear those things. They absorb them. They start to believe that skills are inherited traits you’re stuck with rather than something you develop.

But even the person who created the IQ test didn’t see intelligence as fixed. Alfred Binet invented the test not to label children, but to identify who needed extra support so teachers could help them succeed. He believed that with the right help, kids could grow academically. Today’s brain research continues to show the same thing. We are built for lifelong learning.

So what does this mean for students, and for us as parents and educators?

It means we need to be mindful of the way we talk about challenges, mistakes, and effort. The mindset we model becomes the mindset they adopt. When we believe our abilities are fixed, we naturally try to avoid situations that might prove us “not smart enough.” But when we believe abilities can grow, challenges feel less scary and more like an opportunity to stretch ourselves.

Dr. Dweck shares a great example. Imagine you have a rough day. Maybe you get a disappointing grade, a parking ticket, and then your best friend doesn’t respond the way you hoped. People with a fixed mindset jump straight to “I’m a failure,” or “I’m dumb,” or “Why does this always happen to me.” They see those events as proof that something is wrong with them.

People with a growth mindset respond very differently. They say things like “I’ll study differently next time,” or “I need to ask for help,” or “Today was tough, but I can figure this out.” They don’t take the setback as a personal identity statement. They see it as something they can improve.

This plays a huge role in how we praise children. It’s so easy to say “You’re so smart” because we mean it as a compliment. But the moment they struggle, they start to think “I guess I’m not smart anymore.” Instead, praising effort, perseverance, and problem-solving helps them understand that success comes from what they do, not who they are.

Kids with a fixed mindset believe success should come quickly and naturally, and if it doesn’t, it means something is wrong with them. Kids with a growth mindset understand that learning takes time, effort, and patience. When they say “this is hard,” instead of reassuring them that it shouldn’t be, we can celebrate it. Hard work is exactly where the learning happens. I love the power of the word “yet.” “You don’t understand it yet” is so simple, but it changes everything.

School isn’t a place to show up already knowing everything. It’s a place to grow, stretch, try, fail, try again, and build new abilities. Growth mindset doesn’t make challenges easier, but it does change how kids interpret them. A tough moment becomes a puzzle to figure out instead of a personal flaw.

Let’s help our students become kids who lean into challenges, who believe in their ability to grow, and who don’t crumble at the first sign of difficulty. We want students who don’t chase perfect success, but chase growth, curiosity, and learning. That’s where confidence is built, and that’s what lasts.

Stay tuned for more next time as we continue exploring Dr. Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success and what it means for our students.