Head of School's Blog

I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet with interested parents last week for a book club gathering. As I indicated earlier in the year, I've been very intrigued by Dr. Carol Dweck’s book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - How We Can Learn to Fulfill Our Potential. 

A group of more than 20 of us enjoyed discussing the ways we ourselves are, at times, stuck in "fixed" mindsets rather than "growth" mindsets. Also, we shared our concerns about wanting all of our children to have a greater "growth" mindset. The lively conversation was enjoyable and we agreed to consider another book club later this year.

The book I am currently reading is NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children by PO Bronson and Ashley Merryman. The table of contents provides some very provocative topics which include:  "The Inverse Power of Praise;" "Why Kids Lie;" "The Science of Teen Rebellion;" and "Plays Well With Others – Why modern involved parenting has failed to produce a generation of angels." 

That last chapter coincides with the TIME/CNN article dated Nov. 20, 2009, The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting by Nancy Gibbs.

I don't believe any one author has the right answer, but I do think that having meaningful conversations around our collective challenges can be very beneficial for our children. I feel that if we want our children to be lifelong learners, we (home and school) must model a "growth" mindset, even through our own mistakes and shortcomings.