The Power of Learning Mindsets

The power of a fearless, malleable, open-minded mindset is awesome.  To see change approaching and to embrace its challenges while celebrating the evolution it may bring to a process, thing, or thought can inspire innovation, creativity, motivation, playfulness, determination, courage, hope and so much more.  

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” - Pablo Picasso (Time, 1976)

Picasso's observation struck a chord with me as I have had people tell me, "Oh, I'm not artistic like you!" and I think, "Well, why not?" or "How so?" because you may not believe that we are equals based on the outcome of our individual artistic efforts, but the most valuable part of my artwork is not in the end product for me; it's the practice and process of creating that I find immeasurable value.  I believe this is at the root of what Picasso was saying, that joy we feel in creating when we are younger is steadily whittled away by unfair combinations of criticism, perceived failures, and erroneous comparisons of ourselves to others.

I cannot speak for anybody else definitively, but I know if I ask a person a question and they respond negatively, I rethink asking them questions in the future.  Younger humans’ minds are like sponges that can soak in so much more than just the words of a conversation.  They are watching facial expressions, body language, and they hear variations in tone.  As they are still forming their own understandings and opinions of the world, they look for people to trust, or people who make themselves a safe space to ask questions, and they are not all given an opportunity to find those people before their spirits are broken by brusque comments and a lack of positive recognition for their efforts.

Our words to others make a difference in how they see themselves, and this is especially true with impressionable minds.  Being mindful of how we praise or criticize others as educators, mentors, family, and peers, can have a profound impact on how others see us and how they see themselves.  It is easy to become jaded with constant questions, or to be dismissive of the fifth “why?” out of a student’s mouth.  It can also be easy to assign reasoning, negative or positive, for a question asked such as, “Why do we have to learn this?” Practicing kindness can set ourselves up to feel good about the kind of mindsets we promote.  Supporting growth mindsets in others lends itself to building a Personal Learning Network (PLN) that will in-turn be supportive of us as individuals. This is a prime example of a positive-feedback loop.

The late Michelle Eileen McNamara graced us with the following motto that I enjoy for its relevance and brevity, and I think it is the perfect note to end with, “It’s chaos.  Be kind.” (Oswalt, 2017).

Sources

Time. (1976). Modern living: Ozmosis in central park. (1976, October 4). Time. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,918412,00.html 

Oswalt, P.  (2017). Annihilation. Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, performance by Patton Oswalt, Netflix, 2017.  https://tinyurl.com/55keswvk.