Did you know that by the age of four, children have already created their own understanding around ‘success’ and what it means to be ‘smart’? For some, success comes from being smart. This is determined largely by genetics and our environment. Some kids are smart and some just aren’t. This is referred to as a ‘fixed mindset’.
For others, success comes from effort. With hard work, most kids can do most things. Schools and teachers help to build individual capacity. This is a ‘growth mindset’. Children with a fixed mindset tend to get angry or frustrated with constructive feedback, resist challenge, give up faster, reject hard work and often cheat more. Their self-concept of being smart based on little effort also means they typically grow less academically.
Children with a growth mindset accept feedback more readily, embrace challenge, and persist longer with difficult tasks, thus growing more academically.
How does understanding mindset impact parenting? Consider the recent New York Magazine article, The Power and Peril of Praising Your Kids. As adults, while we want to build up a child’s self esteem, we need to be careful to send the right message. Take time to model your own learning. Communicate learning challenges and the reward in substantial effort, “Wow! Learning that new computer program at work was hard. I’m so glad I kept trying. Now I’ve got it! It feels so good to learn something new!”
We need to be aware of how children interpret praise. Young children know when praise is over the top or disingenuous. As children get older, they often see praise as a signal that adults feel they are inadequate and need encouragement. Do we stop praising children? Heavens no! We need to be sure that praise is genuine and specific and part of an ongoing conversation with our children about their learning.
In the spirit of the upcoming holidays, Frenchtown will once again be accepting donations of gift cards to support our families in need. With recent economic conditions, there are several families at Frenchtown that could use our support to provide some very basic needs this holiday season. If you are able to contribute, please send a gift card in an envelope to our office, marked “Holiday Donation”. Thank you for your support!
Morning Announcements for the month of December will include an emphasis on taking responsibility for one’s actions and choosing the right thing to do.
Taking responsibility for one's choices and actions - Taking responsibility builds trust, which can create more freedom in our lives.
Here are some books you might enjoy at home to emphasize these concepts:
- Clean Your Room, Harvey Moon!, P. Cummings
- Horton Hatches the Egg, Dr. Seuss
- Horton Hears a Who, Dr. Seuss
- Miss Rumphius, B. Cooney
- Right Choices, K. Taylor
- Self-Discipline, L. Raatma
- Words Are Not for Hurting, E. Verdick
- One Smile, C. McKinley Stone Soup, J. Muth
- The Giving Tree, S. Silverstein
- The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Life of Giving, E. Sabin
- Make Someone Smile: And 40 More
Town Meetings with Mrs. Vaughn and Mr. Dwyer are taking place weekly. Grade level groups of students meet weekly to discuss school wide issues and expectations for our learning community.
Mr. Dwyer is meeting with Grade 1 students and discussing topics on social and academic success included in the Second Step program.
Mrs. Vaughn is presenting lessons in character development using Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs for Kindergarten and Popcorn Park for Grade 2.
Mr. Dwyer is meeting with Grade 1 students and discussing topics on social and academic success included in the Second Step program.
Mrs. Vaughn is presenting lessons in character development using Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs for Kindergarten and Popcorn Park for Grade 2.
Interesting articles for parents:
- YIKES! My Kid Wants a Mobile Phone
- 7 Intelligent Gifts for Tech Savvy Kids
- 10 Most Violent Video Games of 2014 and What To Play Instead
