Mindsets

I was all ready to write a post at last staff meeting, but I cannot concentrate when people are talking, so I just read and commented on other people's blogs. There are some neat things happening in our school, and it's great to read about what everyone else has been doing in their classrooms. And then I read Leslee's and there were so many awesome things happening I did not know what to comment on! I didn't end up writing anything. Please know that your posts are interesting, informative and inspirational, Leslee, and this post today is inspired by the book that you let me read first, before anyone else (I did feel a bit special about being first to read it!)
But it is also because today I visited my dad in hospital, he had a stroke yesterday, he is completely paralysed down his left hand side, and I could barely understand what he was trying to say. My mind kept going back to the book I'd just finished, about mindsets, and I found myself thinking 'he will be ok, his brain will find new ways to control his body and speech, I know this because I have just read about brains and mindsets and I know all of this'... but it was very hard to remain positive while he was crying, trying to tell me about what happened. The frustration of thinking clearly while your body won't respond, and your words won't come out... I don't know what I can do. I don't know.
I can't write this.
The book (Mindset - Carol Dweck, Ph.D) was brilliant, and I know that everyone (our staff) will enjoy it. Or at least gain something from reading it.
Usually I read everything (literally everything, I never skim, scan or miss bits - just in case I miss something important) but I did a little bit with this one. The sports stuff, chapter 4, I just could not relate to. I had no clue what she was on about with golf and softball (was it even softball, I don't know, teams were named, maybe it was baseball, is that what they play in America?) and tennis etc. I've heard of some of the people before like Tiger Woods, Steel Panther do a really funny song about him, and Michael Jordan of course, but I didn't understand a lot of what it all meant.
However, the rest of the book was fantastic. It has questions and scenarios to think about while reading and I found out that I do have fixed mindset in some situations, but it also gave ideas about how to change to growth mindset, how to change the way that you think, strategies for dealing with fixed mindsets and how to work with kids using growth mindset. I am already practising some of those strategies, and keep thinking about what I've learnt. I think, most importantly for me, is that in order to expect growth mindset within my class, I need to show growth mindset in how I speak, act and what I do in my class. It's really not just about putting growth mindset posters on the wall.
Things that I found most fascinating were mindsets and depression, suicide, anger and entitlement. I feel like I could just read it all over again. Interesting stuff, maybe I could study brains too! But I love my job. And extra study for me would be what I love most, something in visual art. Actually, I'd really love to do Maori art. That could be a goal.
I had set myself a few personal goals relating to what I've learnt, that should have a positive impact on my students.
Right now I'm thinking that I hope I can somehow have a positive impact on my Dad.