ETON EDITION Vol. 35 No. 4
January 2013
From the Head of School
The Importance of Failure In the early afternoon of January 13, there is a chance you heard from a distance, fanatically loud cheering, only to be followed 23 seconds (of game time) later by groans of despair. Such were the sounds emanating from my house during the Seahawks fantastic comeback and ultimate loss to the Falcons in the playoffs. Once I recovered, however, from the fact that the football season had ended, Russell Wilson’s remarks after the game caused my thoughts to drift to a book and concept that had a great impact upon me. Wilson said, “When the game was over, I was very disappointed. But walking back into the tunnel, I got so excited about next year.” In her book, Mindset, Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck outlines the concept of two different mindsets, a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Individuals with a predominantly fixed mindset tend to view ability and intelligence as fixed and, subsequently, success or failure predetermined by those traits (or worse, by luck). Those with a growth mindset, however, view ability and intelligence as fluid and subject to improvement and growth. For those with a fixed mindset, failure is a traumatic event that reveals a shortcoming and cause for shame (or finger pointing). For those with a growth mindset, failure is part of a cycle of constant improvement and a lesson that leads to future success. The most important part of Dweck’s book (in my opinion) is that a person’s mindset is NOT fixed. It is possible to learn the growth mindset, and just as importantly, to nurture that mindset in children. Some of this is in how we praise children. Telling a child, “You are so smart!” may feel like a good thing to do. The truth, however, is that it tells a child that there is an expectation that they will always be smart and always do well. One significant result is that the child often comes to believe that innate intelligence is more important than effort; that effort is a sign of deficiency. Another important byproduct is that the child becomes risk-averse and avoids challenging problems and work that might demonstrate
a lack of innate intelligence. In contrast, praise that emphasizes effort can have precisely the opposite effect. A child told, “Wow! You must have worked really hard!” develops persistence and actually seeks out more challenging and difficult problems. Another important distinction is that, when adults stress the importance of innate intelligence, the emphasis is placed upon something beyond the child’s control; there is no logical way for the child to turn failure into success. Emphasis on effort, conversely, places importance on a variable that a child can control and utilize for future success. Once that growth mindset is in place, failure is not a verdict and an end result. Failure becomes an important opportunity to grow and a step on the path to success. So, let’s do what we can to encourage a growth mindset in children and inspire them to view failure as a part of the learning process and an important step in developing the motivation and strategies necessary to ultimately succeed. Oh, and Go Seahawks! Dr. Russell Smith, Head of School
In This Issue Development Office................................................... 2 Admissions................................................................... 3 Progress Reports......................................................... 3 Annual Auction........................................................... 4 Auction Item Preview................................................. 5 Student Activities....................................................... 6 Class News.................................................................... 8
From the Office......................................................... 15
Eton School Newsletter