Introduction

It has been an incredible summer of sport! Football, Tennis and of course the Olympics. But what we almost never see are the athletes who don’t make the podium. Those that have spent the last 5 years training for this event but to miss their dive or get the twisties. Are they considered failures?

There are many examples throughout the summer of sport of perseverance in the face of disappointment. We can use these athletes to remind our students that mistakes don’t have to stop them, we can use them to help them focus on growing and learning, not just on the outcome.

Out of 11,656 athletes that competed in Tokyo 339 medals were awarded, this means that 97% of athletes didn’t receive a medal. Throughout the academic year I am sure both ourselves a teachers and our students will experience setbacks in a variety of contexts be it academically, in sport or not obtaining a student leadership position they have applied for. One of our values at BSB is resilience, the strongest message from this summer of sport is that the setbacks we have, we can use to propel us to higher heights and obtaining a new personal best.

I hope this mini issue of CPD@BSB helps you harness the power of growth mindset within your teaching and your students as we enter the new academic year.

Gillian