Growth Mindset

I had never heard of growth mindset until now, but I have to say, it makes a lot of sense. I've even seen the effects of praising ability in my own life and family.

I think that my parents did a fair amount of both praising our intelligence growing up, and encouraging us to persevere when the going got tough. As a result, I find myself capable of wanting to give up when I'm not good at something. I don't like to seem like I'm struggling, and even though struggling is something that I rarely do, it's still something that I avoid at all costs. My brother too, exhibits some of the symptoms of a "fixed mindset," as Dweck puts it. He doesn't like to appear to be struggling either, and sometimes, when he does struggle, he feels insecure about his intelligence. He doesn't want for his classmates to think that he is having difficulties. My sister is the same way, but she is infinitely more sensitive about it because she has dyslexia, so it's difficult for her to relate to her errors. 

Source: Rocks Digital

I am person who doesn't like to try and fail, but I don't mind challenging myself. I don't do it for the sake of the challenge, if there is something to be gained by overcoming the challenge. I'm an honors student, which means I have to write a Research thesis, take extra classes, maintain a certain GPA. It's difficult, but I want that cum laude. I'm a double major because I want more bang for my buck, why get one degree for $21,000/year when you can get two. I am okay with challenging myself but I don't like the challenges being set for me.

Now that I'm older, I'm more of the mindset that errors occur and I've become more blasé about it. If I fail, I find a way to make it work. But I don't really go looking for opportunities to fail. Maybe I should. But I also wonder, where is the line between avoid difficulty and simply pursuing your interests. I like the more abstract subjects, like literature and philosophy. Sure, it's hard to be wrong about themes and thought processes, but why would I take more math a science courses when I don't enjoy them. Sure they would challenge me, but am I avoiding them, or am I just embroiling myself in the subjects I enjoy? Are the two mutually exclusive? 

I think that the emphasis on growth mindset could be helpful not only to the kids who would directly benefit but for school culture in general. I mean if educators created an environment wherein students were encouraged to try and fail rather than to appear to succeed, then I think the insecurities that plague young students would lessen significantly. No one wants to be teased by their peers when they don't understand. It would be much more helpful to have students acknowledge when each other fails and have a culture that helps each other see the "yet" and the value in persistence. Imagine what kind of world that would be in a few generations. A whole society full of adults striving for success but not crippled by failure. Interesting to think about, that.