Kelley the Counselor
Weekly Check In
Week 6- Growth Mindset Continued
Hello Renbrook students and families!
Last week I wrote about the importance of a growth mindset during this experience. Most of us are beyond frustrated, and what could be described as “feeling off.” By now we are settling into the new normal of working and learning from home but even settling into the new rhythm is no easy task.
As I said previously...distance learning is hard.
While it can be hard and draining at times, I hope that the words from last week’s newsletter and the activities I provided were enough to get you through the week.
Maybe you didn’t try them, and that’s ok! But, I do encourage you to think deeper about what having a growth mindset means and how you can train your brain little by little. Try to see each challenge as an opportunity instead. Growth can be challenging. But by pushing yourself to adapt, and eventually to succeed, that means you’re also pushing yourself to look at challenges differently. An obstacle now becomes an opportunity to learn something new and to do things in ways you haven’t before. Change is never easy, but by embracing these opportunities, that means there is room for personal growth. Here, you find the best version of yourself. Don’t stress yourself out by making too many changes at once, but take your time to teach your brain to push through the obstacles. After some time, these won’t seem so frustrating anymore and you might surprise yourself.
Whatever the case is, pushing through something you are hesitant towards can build you up. The biggest reason for this, it teaches you to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. It also teaches you about how your attitude matters. Again, someone with a fixed mindset would hesitate and give up when things get tough. Someone with a growth mindset will push forward in their own way. By no means will this happen overnight. However, the mere practice and repetition of positive thoughts will help bring you one step closer to having a growth mindset. Again, while you might not have it all the time, but pushing through brings confidence you need to have it more often and apply it throughout your day.
As a former classroom teacher, I always told my students that what I cared about more than anything else when they walked into my room was one thing: showing effort. Putting the work in, trying to overcome obstacles, and continuing to push when it gets hard. Even if the answer isn’t correct, it doesn’t matter. As long as you are trying and have the desire to improve, your outlook on the hard moments in life will change. Another perspective is through hard and necessary work, you can develop, improve, and succeed over time. Talk to your friends, talk to your family, your coworkers, anyone about pushing through all of this difficulty. Surround yourself (even in a social distancing manner) with those who have this desire to grow and improve as well. We will feed off one another and encourage each other to keep pushing through.
Remember, the more we all put into this process, the more we will all get out of it. We are stronger together. We are better together. We are in this together.
Go Hawks!
Coloring Can Be Very Therapeutic. Give these Growth Mindset Pages a Try!
Download the Journal for Some Practice Activities
GROWTH MINDSET BOOKS FOR KIDS
Papa’s Mechanical Fish by Candace Fleming
A Perfectly Messed Up Story by Patrick McDonnell
Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka
Anything Is Possible by Giulia Belloni
Marvelous Mattie by Emily Arnold McCully
Your Incredible elastic Brain, Stretch It, Shape It by JoAnn Deak Ph.D.
The Girl who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett
Galimoto by Karen Lynn Williams
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
Words of Wisdom
Get Outside and Be Mindful!
You Can Learn Anything
My takeaways from the video (Repeat these to yourself often!)
- You can learn anything, because you were born to learn.
- Each wrong answer makes your brain a little bit stronger.
- Failure is just another word for growing when you keep going.
- You only have to know one thing: you can learn anything.
I Can't Do It...YET!
Try This!
Want Something To Do, But It's Cold/Rainy? Or Are You Just Bored? Try These!
Contact Me
Email: kreiss@renbrook.org
Website: https://teams.microsoft.com/_#/conversations/?ctx=chat
Location: Renbrook School, Albany Avenue, West Hartford, CT, USA