Chameleons I. Assimilation Color Codes- Teacher vs. Learners
“Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill” - Chuck Swindoll
Chapter 6Mindset and Attitude A principal friend of mine once said, “Let them see what they are capable of doing. Give them sense of honor and dignity, and a reason to like school. When motivated from within, this is what keeps students staying in school.” Attitude is trained and learned. Culture will have one believe that certain people will have certain attitude, as if it is something set in stone and irreversible. Quite opposite to that viewpoint, one’s attitude is a framework of mind that derives from the mindset that one adopts. It is a reflection of adaptability and study. A positive attitude is something that a learnt person should be able to embrace. When I work with students, I work on their mindset, not their skills.
In speaking with recent college graduates and dropouts, the common perception is that they do not need to conform, that they can find work with or without a college degree, that schools are a waste of time, and what they had learned in college was useless. What they did not know was, what they learned from college was a set of attitude, was a mindset that gave them that point of view. Do not even try to argue with a college graduate (I have tried), they will insist on this school of philosophy, yet at the same time telling the world how their “mindset� is fluid and constantly changing with the world, and they do not need a degree to prove that. That indeed is a mindset. It is one that has been brewing for years even when these students were in grade school. They grew up online and believe that their own research and understanding of the massive bank of information online is sufficient to define who they are and what they know. It is a mindset that is deeply rooted. This is not a debate to seek whether the mindset is right, or wrong. In fact, I say, why change that? Invest in the formation of that mindset and relook at what we are doing in the elementary school to start the cultivation of mindsets early. If children are thinking that they can get all sorts of information online and they do not need adults to inform them, provide that level of online savvy starting at the elementary level. So when these mindsets are ready to shape, they are at least founded on the ability to differentiate empirical science studies vs. popular opinions, and the discretion to monitor peer- reviewed truth vs. distortions. By the time that students exit high school, they will have a set framework of mind. We can help by giving them the love, care, skills, and circumstances to build that mindset, or we can watch how they exit high school and enter college or career with an attitude that is often rooted in false or unverified information.
Dr. Dweck (2006), in her book “Mindset”, mentioned how there were two types of mindset, the Fixed Mindset (based on praises for exterior looks and elements other than effort) and the Growth Mindset (if I work hard and dig deep, I can achieve more). From my interaction with students, either one is a solid mindset that has been chosen by the students before they entered school. The kids who lack confidence will bow to others’ ideas, the kids who are strong-willed will power others into giving in. As teachers, we have a tremendous role to change that power scene and teach all students to take on an attitude that will eventually help them overcome the obstacles that lie ahead. What I want to teach children is the “Choice Mindset”, that they have the choice to work harder, smarter, be healthier, or even become better looking, all for the effort to achieve what they want in life. I insist on my students loving everything and giving everything at least one chance before denying it, so they do not miss out on a choice. This is the lesson of mindset.
It Starts with An Attitude I teach students how to greet when going into a room, meeting an adult, or visiting someone’s home. This is training the attitude to think outside of oneself. When students are able to fully understand this ideology, they begin to think empathetically. This is a powerful attitude that allows children to expand themselves. Now, when other students come into my classroom and fail to greet me, my students take on the role of trainers automatically. They tell the student visitors to first greet, ask how things are, wait for a response, and offer praise for something in the room. Then, identify oneself and state the purpose of the visit.
I tell them, when an opportunity is presented to them, before whining or jumping at the chance, think of at least two questions that they can ask themselves about the pros and cons of that decision, then raise their hand to decline or volunteer. This is delaying the attitude to make choices prematurely. For most children, they feel that they are constantly in the limelight and having to make decisions without “think time�. I teach them to carefully weigh the pros and cons, because many things in life, once committed, there is no getting out. I want to give them a mindset of choice that involves careful planning and gauging of options. There are three basic expectations in my classroom: order, with-it, and respect. All three expectations evolve around one thing- students’ attitude. Students are taught that their ability to meet these expectations is not based on my praises or rewards, but based in who they choose to be. On the first day of school, I greeted students by telling them how I had been hoping to meet them all summer and they were all handpicked to be in my class. That was a powerful statement that told the children that they were worthy, they were wanted, and someone wanted to be with them so badly that she took the whole summer to prepare for their arrival (I did, no joke). Once they were able to grasp that concept, half of the battle was over. They wanted to become the person whom I had been hoping to meet all summer long. They wanted to carry themselves with an attitude that they could choose to be good. This is the beginning of shaping a mindset. It is all about whom they choose to be. Choose to Be Better First day of school year, a father came to school quite concerned. He went to various teachers on site asking what to do with his child, Martin, because according to
dad, the child did not try at all in the years prior. He did poorly in grade three, and did even more poorly the year after. The worried parent spoke with the computer lab teacher and the teacher asked, "Who is your child's homeroom teacher this year?" Dad replied, "I think she is a doctor... Asian lady?" The computer lab teacher chuckled and informed him, "Oh, if he is in Dr. Huang's class, you have nothing to worry about. Martin will be fine." It is comforting to know that my colleague placed such trust in me when it came to student achievement. But was Martin really as what dad and the lab teacher described him to be? After a week of observation, it was confirmed that Martin matched exactly what the father said he would be- he was lazy, he easily cried, was not motivated, and he threw tantrums. His mindset was, “I can’t do anything, and that’s the end of it.” Week two, I told all of the students that they were going to read and take an online test in three weeks, no exception. Martin fell on the floor with eyebrows knotted, pouting, "That's not fair!! Argh…" I looked at him square in the eyes and said, "Martin, you were right. That was not fair because you were not used to reading on a daily basis. Let's talk about this at recess." I then went on with my lesson as if nothing had happened. Came recess, Martin came to my desk with his head hanging low, still griping. I showed him his reading level (two years below grade level), and explained to him how I believed that he was capable. "Martin, you are in fifth grade, but reading at third grade level. Knowing what a passionate person you are, I have a feeling that this does not sit well with you. Does it?" He shook his head admittedly. "I can help you move up if you will trust me and work with me. I am taking time to talk to you because I care deeply about you. It does not hurt me that you cannot read. It hurts YOU that you cannot read. Let's do this: you read everyday
and then three weeks later take that online test. If reading gets too hard, come to me and I will read with you. If you think you can handle the book, enjoy reading it on your own and read twice before taking a test. I will help you whenever possible. Do you trust that you have the ability to move up and I have the ability to help you? Remember, the choice is always YOURS." Martin stared at me, thinking intently about what I just said and replied, "Okay, I just have to read everyday in the next three weeks? And you will help me?" I nodded. He smiled and hopped back to his seat. Out came his desk a book that he just checked out from the library. He said that would be the book on which he wanted to take a test. Each day, I casually asked him about what was going on in the story; he mumbled how the characters were trying to find their dog. A week later, I stood by Martin’s desk and looked over his shoulder as he flipped through the pages. I gently reminded him that, I was curious about what happened to the dog, but he was flipping too fast. He grinned, but immediately sat up and turned to the page where he left off. I continued to stand behind his seat for about two minutes until he obviously went into the “zone” and immersed in the book. Each day, I would check back to see how things were going with the book and helped him develop vocabulary needed to understand the story. I called home and told father that Martin was “hooked” on a book, so dad needed to do what I did to keep Martin interested in getting through the book. Father followed through. A week prior to the test, I offered Martin the choice to read the book over again, just to make sure that he has not missed any key point in the story. He disagreed. He was ready to jump in with both feet and take that test. I loved his attitude of “going while it felt good”, but I knew that if he failed, he would never trust
the process again and reading, to him, would be locked into a negative framework of mind that would be difficult to escape. I challenged him to share the content of the book with me one more time, just to make sure that “I” got the details straight. We covered the main idea, the plot, the turning point, and the author’s point of view. In the process, Martin found out that he was not quite ready to give responses to some of my inquiries. He asked questions and went back to the text to find evidence. When he was ready, he knew. The result was, he passed the test at 100%. I made a point not to congratulate him. I simply told him that it seemed that he made a right choice with the book and the right choice to read it again. I asked him what the next step would be. He gazed at me with a puzzled look and said, “Read another book that is a little harder, of course. When I am done, do you want me to tell you about it again?” I nodded and smiled. Martin did share the next book with me, and the next, each time with less dependency. In time, Martin was reading at grade level, and suddenly realized that he needed to choose to work on his writing, too. This outcome took an insistence on accompanying a child’s journey to learn. In my audio book From Storms to Blossoms, I mentioned how the price of 20 minutes a day for a short period of time equates to possibly 20 years of effect on the chosen behavior. Meaning, when I spent 20 minutes a day during my lunch time to help Martin, he may benefit from that effect for the next 20 years and continue to learn and enjoy learning according to his pace and zeal. I only needed to do that for a few weeks, but the effect lasted for as long as Martin continued to make choices that put him ahead. More importantly, this took a mindset to choose to be better, to choose to do more, and to choose to decide one’s path. Assimilated.
Suggestions for Parents: We are busy people. There is a world demanding our time outside of children. While we take their education and learning to the maximum, there are times we just don’t understand what school is about and what is it that our kids are supposed to learn. As a young mother when my son was growing up, I would question his teacher about my child’s inability to complete assignments. Eventually, I realized what he needed was for someone to sit with him to get him started, and then he would be fine. With me sitting next to him to start his work, my child was able to make better choices to read, write, research, memorize spelling words, and a number of other things. What I gave him was not the completed homework assignment, but the launch pad off which to make better choices. Instead of yelling at him or criticizing him, the easier and far healthier choice was to model for him the type of behavior expected. From there he had a choice- to continue to act the way he did (which most children would not), or take the obvious path to succeed.
Action Points for Teachers: We all have students who will give us an “attitude”. They have a myriad of excuses not to do well. That is a mindset that is hard to break. In order to undo that attitude, we must install a better option. Often students are left to their own device (or to parents) to improve their craft. We are the professionals who have had the training to know exactly what to do to put them ahead. In the beginning, it may be exhausting to try to invest so much time for each of the students. In time, you will realize that investment
is actually making the rest of the school year so much easier, when students begin to adopt a new kind of mindset and to have a change of heart, you can take that time to invest in another needy student’s life.
If You Happened to be a Student: If I may suggest, even when you feel that you have a healthy mindset about school, sometimes it does not hurt to see things from a different point of view. Your ability to succeed and achieve higher is not in other people’s praises, or in your “will power” to dig in and work harder. It is in that attitude of a professional athlete that, if there is a better strategy, a wiser choice, you are going to find it and stick to it. If you are stuck with something now, evaluate the choices before you. If you need help, seek assistance from your parents or a trusted adult. Their help will give you wider choices of solutions; hence, a healthy mindset to confront your obstacles.
Chameleon Dialogues (變色龍互動區) My fellow chameleon teacher, sometimes we have to communicate our mindset to our students by showing them our tenacity. As teaching professionals, we are in the forefront of teaching the choice mindset and to alter attitudes. Imagine changing a child’s mindset so he makes better choices for his studies, friends, future schools, or even careers. That is putting them in the winning position early on in life. They are going to have a mindset of some type regardless. Why not afford them with plenty of opportunities to learn and know how to make better choices in everything they do?