Thursday, April 6, 2023 Volume 17 Issue 26
This week I wanted to revisit a topic that it an important one – having a Growth Mindset. The idea of a growth mindset comes from Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. Our mindset is our belief about our ability and whether it is fixed or changeable. Some children – and adults – are more likely to feel that one is either born smart or not. If you are not, there is not a whole lot you can do about it. That idea is referred to as a “Fixed Mindset.” A growth mindset is the belief that with continued effort, we can all maximize our potential and that our ability is not fixed, but changeable. Many of us are somewhere on a continuum in the middle. If asked, we say we believe people can overcome obstacles through hard work, but we may still catch ourselves saying “I can’t do that” or “I’m not good at that.”
Having a growth mindset has benefits – people who believe that we can get better through effort improve their self-worth and enjoy the process of learning more. Imagine how discouraging it would be to feel that your effort to get better at something just would not make a difference. If you held the belief that you are not good at math and then had to study and practice math, how useless would that feel? Instead, when we realize (and teach our children) that mistakes are opportunities for learning and give us information about where to focus our efforts so we can learn and grow, we realize that we don’t need to be perfect all the time. At TM, we sometimes talk about the “power of yet,” as in “I can’t do long division… Yet.” This implies a temporary condition – I will be able to do it, with practice and determination.
If you’d like more information, here are some other resources related to a growth mindset:
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
Carol Dweck Ted Talk “The Power of Believing that You Can Improve.” https://www.mindsetkit.org/practices/HIGpL1kBNRRxN26s
Mindset Kit for parents: https://www.mindsetkit.org/growth-mindset-parents
“The Power of Belief: Mindset and Success” – Ted Talk by Eduardo Briceno https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc
Principal
Katie May
School Hours:
8:55 a.m. - 3:25 p.m.
Early Release Wednesdays
8:55 a.m. - 2:10 p.m.
Attendance
If your child is absent from school, please contact the main office at
(206) 252-2800, or
email thurgoodmarshall.attendance@seattleschools.org,
and notify us of the absence and the reason for the absence, so we can keep accurate attendance data.
All visitors to school MUST check in at the office upon entering campus. It is not a requirement to show a vaccination card for a visit to campus. We ask that parents not enter the building during arrival or dismissal unless they are entering for a meeting, to help us avoid congestion in the hallways for our students.
REMINDER
Contact information for Thurgood Marshall’s YMCA Program:
Liz Abbot – YMCA Program Director for Central and South Region, 206-825-1235, labbott@seattleymca.org
Jimmy Stuart, YMCA Site Director for Thurgood Marshall Elementary, 206-887-1981, jstuart@seattleymca.org
Growth Mindset
This week I wanted to revisit a topic that it an important one – having a Growth Mindset. The idea of a growth mindset comes from Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. Our mindset is our belief about our ability and whether it is fixed or changeable. Some children – and adults – are more likely to feel that one is either born smart or not. If you are not, there is not a whole lot you can do about it. That idea is referred to as a “Fixed Mindset.” A growth mindset is the belief that with continued effort, we can all maximize our potential and that our ability is not fixed, but changeable. Many of us are somewhere on a continuum in the middle. If asked, we say we believe people can overcome obstacles through hard work, but we may still catch ourselves saying “I can’t do that” or “I’m not good at that.”
Having a growth mindset has benefits – people who believe that we can get better through effort improve their self-worth and enjoy the process of learning more. Imagine how discouraging it would be to feel that your effort to get better at something just would not make a difference. If you held the belief that you are not good at math and then had to study and practice math, how useless would that feel? Instead, when we realize (and teach our children) that mistakes are opportunities for learning and give us information about where to focus our efforts so we can learn and grow, we realize that we don’t need to be perfect all the time. At TM, we sometimes talk about the “power of yet,” as in “I can’t do long division… Yet.” This implies a temporary condition – I will be able to do it, with practice and determination.
If you’d like more information, here are some other resources related to a growth mindset:
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
Carol Dweck Ted Talk “The Power of Believing that You Can Improve.” https://www.mindsetkit.org/practices/HIGpL1kBNRRxN26s
Mindset Kit for parents: https://www.mindsetkit.org/growth-mindset-parents
“The Power of Belief: Mindset and Success” – Ted Talk by Eduardo Briceno https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN34FNbOKXc
And a reminder from Dr. J. Luke Wood that that growth mindset must be considered in context: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/prominent-scholar-calls-growth-mindset-a-cancerous_us_5a07f046e4b0f1dc729a6bc3
Docere Center for Natural Medicine is coming for one last vaccine clinic on April 26 from 12:30-3:30!
We will start with pre-registered students during school hours from 12:30-2:10. Parents do not need to be present if they have filled out the authorization form online (see link below). After the bell rings at 2:10, we will open up opportunities for staff, families, and siblings to receive vaccines. Offered vaccines: Varicella (chickenpox), MMR, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, TDap/DTap, HPV, Meningitis B, COVID 1st Dose, 2nd Dose, or Booster, Flu Vaccine (18 years and under ONLY).
If you are unsure about eligibility, vaccination status, or have any questions please reach out to one of our nurses. We are glad to help!
Colima Gibbons RN Kyla McClure RN
206-252-2807 206-252-2789
Vaccine Consent Form: https://forms.gle/zPy9YnwNLpkM3uLt6
Please fill out this form to register your child for vaccines. You do not need to be present for vaccines as long as we have consent ahead of time. Vaccines are provided at no cost to you regardless of insurance status. If you do have insurance it is very helpful for us to have that information. If you do not have insurance information please check the no insurance box. Please provide all other requested information. Paper forms available by request.
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