MY STORY â BEING INSPIRED BY A TEACHER
The teacher that inspired me the most during my journey as a student was a math teacher at the College of New Caledonia. This teacher allowed me to grow from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. This was done by his belief in me that I could succeed in his class. This experience has changed my outlook on learning with the notion that if a person has a healthy and powerful mind, anything is possible. Since that experience, I recently came across an article that completely explained what had occurred to me in this teacherâs class.
In âEven Geniuses Work Hardâ, Carol S. Dweck provides a contrast between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. She claims that students who have a fixed mindset value looking smart over learning whereas students with a growth mindset believe their intelligence can be developed. Students with a fixed mindset give up more easily and are content with just that pass or fail believing they cannot get smarter. On the other hand, those with a growth mindset take on challenges, they strive to get better and put on a greater effort in their studies. She mentions meaningful schoolwork and how this work teaches students to develop their growth mindset where they will take on challenges, will love to learn, will push themselves, and be resilient. She describes this as experiencing long-term (lifelong) success rather short-term achievement. Carol shares examples of how teachers can create a âculture of risk takingâ which is providing encouragement and praise, giving students challenges to stretch their minds, and have students see their progress through harder assignments. Dweck mentions the importance of the word âyetâ. If students are discouraged or canât seem to see how their hard work is paying off, she says to always use âyetâ which instills hope in the learner. A growth mindset ensures an improved and positive attitude towards learning lasting a lifetime.
Throughout my schools years (secondary primarily), I had a fixed mindset. My struggles in math gave me the feeling that I could never succeed in that subject which made me want to give it up. I didnât think I could get smarter. It wasnât until college when I took a math and a statistics class (I needed those to get in the B.Ed. program) where my instructor challenged me to succeed. The aspect that this teacher incorporated in his teaching was allowing me to be more âhands-onâ, relating mathematical scenarios to real life examples and allowing me to âexperienceâ the learning. I put forward a huge amount of effort which paid off. I grew from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset. This was done by myself with the help of my instructor. He believed in me. He saw how much I wanted to succeed. I have a much improved attitude for learning which I will keep for life.
MY TEACHING METAPHOR â PLANTING SEEDS
What made the above experience even more enlightening was the relationship that this teacher built with me. By believing in me, he was able to pave the way (provide me the space) for trust to be established. Building and sustaining trusting relationships in teaching is foundational to student success. As an educational assistant and teacher candidate, I have realized that one of my greatest strengths is being able to make a difference in studentsâ lives. I am known to be able to deeply connect with students by reaching them on multiple levels and allowing open and honest dialogue which creates a safe space. My ability to deeply connect with students allows me to understand and interpret their world for what is truly going on for them. This builds strong and lasting relationships.
In building relationships, I relate connecting with my students to planting a seed. Every student is a seed that will grow and mature into lifelong learners, germinating into our future generation. Those seeds are in my garden where they will grown and flourish provided I give them love, care, and attention. They will be nurtured by myself, following them every step of the way into their growth as learners.
Seeds are the one thing that are the only genuine promise we have of the future,”
Reference
Dweck, C. S. (2010). Even Genuises Work Hard. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Even-Geniuses-Work-Hard.aspx