D is for Determination

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

D is for DETERMINATION. Determination is often linked to having a growth mindset, the idea that we can’t do something…YET. Every single year a student walks into my classroom and says, “I can’t do that.” We very quickly set a classroom rule that, that specific phrase will not fly. I remind my students that things will be hard, that we have to work together and that it is my job to support them. I tell them that if they knew everything I’d have to send them straight to 3rd grade and that would make me sad. That last line typically gets a laugh and seems to reduce the stress from when something is challenging. After a few weeks, the, “I can’t do that” changes to, “I can’t do that…YET!”

Like Glennon Doyle tells us, “WE CAN DO HARD THINGS!” We all know that feeling of frustration. It is important as adults that we acknowledge when a child is facing a challenge, provide support and encourage them to try again. Helping children shift their attitude and having a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset, is a life skill that they can use well beyond the four walls of a classroom.

Picture books provide a safe opportunity to explore a variety of topics and problem solve tricky situations for characters. The goal is that when a child is then faced with a similar dilemma, they can pull up how a character solved the problem in a book they read or listened to and apply it to their own life. Here are two great resources with children’s books that focus on DETERMINATION and GROWTH MINDSET.

#determination #growthmindset #glennondoyle #wecandohardthings #picturebooks