I had never heard of having a growth or fixed mindset until about a year ago. I was in my
senior year in high school and in my college experience class when the mindsets were presented
to me. It was interesting to see which mindset I had, and how it has affected my life thus far.
Throughout my elementary school years, always had a fixed mindset. I was ok with this
though because I did not know any better.My parents always told to do well in school and that is
what I did. I was always a good student up until I got into high school. I had never learned of
either of these mindsets until my senior year in high school about a year ago from now. I started
to struggle in school and I assumed I could not do the material asked of me because I was not
born smart enough. Carol Dweck says to “focus on the process rather than intelligence.” I had
never thought of the process. I had always been told to do well but never put in the time or effort
into my school work. I was never rewarded for how hard I tried but rather the outcome of my
grades. When i first started putting effort and working harder it was really difficult because I was used to not having to try. “ They had negative views of effort, believing that having to work hard at something was a sign of low ability. They thought that a person with talent or intelligence did
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not need to work hard to do well.” (Dweck). I have thought like this my whole life. I believed
that showing effort or asking for help was a sign that I was not nearly as smart as others. I
believed and still somewhat believe that a person with talent or intelligence does not have to
work nearly as hard or at all.
I still struggle now putting effort into my school work. It was weird having to study and
sit down and focus instead of just going out and getting an A. I had always believed that talent
would get anyone anywhere without having to put much of a second thought onto anything. I
would envy those who could dominate in school or in sports because I thought they were born that way. “Such children hold an implicit belief that intelligence is innate and fixed…”(Dweck). Reading about Johnathan who is introduced in the article as a smart kid that sailed through the
earlier years of school with ease. But as the going got tough he lost interest in school. Johnathan
reminds me of myself in many ways. Mainly because that is how I went through the early years
of school. We both struggled and lost interest in materials when the going got tough. I never saw
the moment as a chance to improve or get smarter but rather a shot at my intelligence or ego.
This made school much harder on me. I had lost a lot of confidence and a lot of motivation to do
well in school and finish my school work. I was afraid that I did not understand the material, and
others would judge and treat me differently because of it. My high school was known for being
one of the best academic high schools in the whole county. The school was not going to be a
cake walk like the first eight years of school was for me. “Schoolwork, their son maintained, was
boring and pointless.” (Dweck). I had felt this way over many of my years in high school. If I
thought that something I was learning in math was useless and I would never use the material
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outside of the class I put it away and claimed it as useless. I never put much effort into anything
that would not be used in the real world. In general if I struggled with material instead of
persevering I believed it as boring and that I was not born smart enough to complete the material.
My parents had always given me money for a’s and b’s I had received on my report
cards. I had always felt very praised for receiving money for grades. This appraisal gave me
belief that i did not need the process because I was capable of receiving good grades without the
effort. Oh boy was I wrong about that. Dweck tells us “On the other hand, our studies show that
teaching people to have a “growth mind-set,” which encourages a focus on “process” rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life.” My parents praise had never put emphasis on the process, learning this now I see why I struggled throughout
high school and excelled in the early years of schools. I had never seen education or learning as a
process or something I had to put effort into. This was due to the fact that I had a growth mindset when it came to education.“The result plays out in children like Jonathan, who coast through the early grades under the dangerous notion that no-effort academic achievement defines them as smart or gifted. Such children hold an implicit belief that intelligence is innate and fixed.” (Dweck). I believed that I was born with this intelligence and no process was needed for me. If I
did not know the material it is not my fault and I can not learn it because i was not born to know
it. I believed that not having a process to education proved me to be smart. I still believe this
slightly because my brother excels in academics and is yet to really see education as a process.
The article has definitely changed my perspective when it comes to education. I know now to put
more effort into my school work.
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Putting emphasis on process and having a growth mindset can change the outcome of a
students years in elementary school, middle school, high school. Mindset is a big part of how
well a student can do in school. Having different mindsets and the way students are raised can
change difference on a students success. My mindset had a big role on how my grades turned out
and what happened to me attitude towards school when things got tough.
Works cited Dweck, Carol. “The Secret to Raising Smart Kids.” Scientific American, Scientific American, 2019.https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-secret-to-raising-smart-ki-ds1/. Accessed
13 Oct. 2019.
