Growth Mindset

I found Carol Dweck’s article Mindsets to be very interesting and quite thought provoking. One of the biggest take-home messages I got out of the reading was the emphasis placed on praising a student’s hard work and the overall learning process, rather than the end result. I feel that this is definitely something I will have to keep in mind as a beginning teacher because I know I have a tendency to want to praise student’s efforts as well as the work they’re doing. I found the list we created as a class regarding how we can support a growth mindset in our own classrooms to be helpful in thinking about this from a teacher’s standpoint. Making sure I encourage students to explain their thinking process or noticing the improvement a student is making in a particular subject area are great ways to uphold the growth mindset. I am so eager to learn more about Dweck’s ideas and hope to find time to read her book soon!

Role models & change makers

As I reflect on many of the important issues we have examined over the course of the quarter, one theme that seems to be persistent across the board is the power a teacher holds as a role model.  I believe this is illustrated so well through Nyla’s story from Rethinking our Classrooms.

Because the school where Katie Kissinger taught was not very diverse in terms of racial, linguistic or economic status, Kissinger made the decision to include students with disabilities in her own classroom in order to expose her students to those who were different from them. Her hope was that through getting to know each other and developing bonds and special connections, the children would learn to respect and value differences. However, what she hadn’t anticipated was how she was first going to have to unearth and overcome her own fears in order for herself and her students to be able to move forward on this journey together.

Realizing that her only real experience with someone with a severe disability was her great-grandfather years ago, Kissinger recognized that she had been avoiding Nyla, a student with a severe disability, because she was uncomfortable and fearful of this new situation. Upon this realization, Kissinger did exactly what she needed to do; she addressed her fears head-on and learned all there was to know about proper handling and feeding techniques so she could bond with Nyla. She made certain everyone was included in the class’s circle time by getting Nyla out of her wheelchair and holding her. Kissinger remembers, “As soon as I changed my behavior and began a relationship with Nyla, the other children began to see her as a classmate. I have never had a clearer lesson about the power of the teacher as a role model” (26).

I found this story to be so moving.  It encompass many of the themes we have been learning about throughout the quarter, such as the importance of self-reflection, creating a classroom community that is based on inclusion and respect and the great power a teacher holds as a role model for her students. When we teach by example, connecting with, valuing, and respecting those who are different from ourselves, we set an example, a standard for our students, and more often than not, they will follow in our footsteps.  

Everyone benefits

Creating a positive classroom community, one that is safe and welcoming for all students, is one of the central roles of a teacher. However, in Vivian Gussin Paley’s book, we see how difficult it can be to balance the needs of all children within a classroom.

            It can be said that Paley’s standard “You can’t say you can’t play” was designed to benefit those children who are routinely rejected by their peers and who struggle to fit in on a daily basis. We are aware that, typically, those who are habitually rejected are socially marginalized kids. I believe implementing a rule, such as “You can’t say you can’t play,” that encourages children to learn to be accepting and understanding of others from a very young age holds the potential for significant positive outcomes for all students.

            As Paley states on page 110, young children often need to be helped in their learning of what the appropriate way to interact with and treat others is, “We must be told, when we are young, what rules to live by. The grownups must tell the children early in life so that myth and morality proclaim the same message while they children are still listening.” I feel that this quote is so true – If we begin in our attempts to show children the value of being empathetic, understanding and respectful of differences at a young age, the implications can be life changing. Kids who are perceived as being the “bosses” or the “mean sisters” can benefit from Paley’s standard immensely. They need to learn to play and interact with those who are different from themselves and not reject others because of something superficial. If they successfully learn to empathize with others at a young age through activities such as play, I believe this will translate into other areas of their lives as they grow older.

            Perhaps more importantly, I believe the children who have never felt welcome at school or had any sense of belonging will be helped significantly by standards such as “You can’t say you can’t play.” Often times, because of their internalizations, kids who are routinely rejected by their peers struggle with that rejection, and the alienation and loneliness that result, into adolescence and adulthood. Do certain students have the right to limit the learning and social experiences of others? Why should one student’s rejection of another be allowed when it is at the expense of a child’s learning and their sense of belonging? Isn’t creating a classroom community where everyone feels safe and valued what we’re after? As educators, we need to find opportunities at young ages, such as during playtime, to teach children acceptance and to empathize with others who are different from them in order to reverse the internalizations that constant rejection can create. As Paley says, every child needs to know that “A full share of the sun is rightfully theirs” and as teachers, it is our responsibility to do our part to ensure that understanding.

Dedication to ALL students

            When I think of students coming into my classroom from a life of poverty and my obligation to them as a teacher, I am continually drawn back to the issue of homework. In her article “Understanding Poverty,” Donna Beegle discusses how through her research and that of others, thousands of educators have found that homework provides no benefit at all for students in poverty. She continues on to say that often times, it instead creates added stress in their lives and the lives of their families, works to alienate the student even more, and makes them feel as though they don’t belong in school. Many times, these students have no one at home who feels willing and/or capable to help them with their homework, or parents or siblings may not have time, or the education to help. So why do we continue to give homework to poverty stricken students?

            This also gets me thinking that if these families who are working extremely hard and so many hours barely have any time at all to spend together as a family, should they have to, and do they really want to, spend what little time they have together sitting and working on worksheets that are brought home from school and that often times only result in heightening everyone’s stress levels? What good is coming from their efforts? It seems as though their time could be spent doing something much more meaningful and valuable to them. So, what’s the alternative to homework? More time to practice skills and lessons in class? But that would mean cutting back on time for other subjects during the school day… How do we make our lessons meaningful and accessible to all of our students, including those who are coming from poverty?

            Something else that’s on my mind is how many other opportunities are students coming from poverty missing out on in schools and what action can, and should, be taken? Often times, what seem like little things to others, such as the pants you’re wearing or what’s in your lunch, can further alienate a student and make them feel as though they don’t belong in school. In Beegle’s article, she discusses how so many students cannot afford their yearbooks at the end of the school year, an important part of their history, and the impact this has on them. I would hope to donate mine to a child in need - do others do this? And what about school lunches? It seems there is always inequality associated with lunches, whether it’s when the “cool” thing to do is bring your own lunch, or now everyone buys hot lunch, or the stigmatism associated with “free” lunches, and those who buy them. Can, and should, we equalize things like lunches? What are we willing to do to try to make school a welcoming place for every student?