Johns Hopkins University 

My background influences my approach to education. Growing up, I had a supportive family who valued effort and perseverance, over a letter grade.  I also had the privilege of being taught by passionate, committed, and caring educators who believed in me and my potential even when I didn't.  The support I received from my family members and remarkable teachers motivated me.

 

Like parents, educators have the opportunity to influence a child's motivation strongly. Now, that I am in this prestigious position, I strive to provide my students with the same unwavering support, belief, and commitment as they begin their educational careers.  I believe teachers  "who hold high expectations for their [student's] learning, believe in their [student's] competence, expose them to new experiences, and encourage curiosity, persistence, and problem-solving can help [student's] develop an intrinsic motivation to learn" (Usher, A. & Kober, N., 2012, p. 4) and develop a growth mindset about their abilities. 

If a child has a growth mindset, “they understand that their abilities, talents, even their intelligence, can be developed through their whole lives, through their effort, their perseverance, their focus, and good instruction. It’s not that they think everyone’s the same or anyone can be Einstein – but they understand that everybody can become smarter and more talented if they dedicate themselves and work at it. And these are the children who end up fulfilling their potential” (Dweck, n.d.). 

 

To implement my educational philosophy, I support my students by providing them with opportunities and activities to develop their understanding of perseverance. As a kindergarten teacher, I see the urgency in teaching my young scholars about perseverance because it will help them acquire the problem-solving skills they need to “behave intelligently when they are faced with problems for which the answer is not immediately known” (Costa, A.L and Kallick, B., 2009a).  Students struggle to persevere because they don’t have the skills and knowledge to practice different strategies if their first approach does not work. To support my students' development with perseverance, they are exposed to diverse strategies that they can call upon and implement when faced with challenging situations or assessments. To further emphasize and support my students' embodiment of perseverance, we use a hand motion and phrase. Our hand movement is clapping our hands together as we say, “Try our best. Stick to it!” 

 

After my students have a strong foundation built upon perseverance, I continue to aid their development by introducing them to a growth mindset. Students first receive a grade-level appropriate definition that is regularly expressed in our classroom. The definition is as follows: “Your brain is like a muscle. When you try challenging things, your brain gets the exercise it needs to become stronger! As your brain becomes more active and makes more connections with the hard work you do,  you become smarter!” My students love hearing that they are getting stronger and when we have our check-ins, they are eager to share how their brain grew! To support their learning and reinforce a growth mindset, we have discussions and activities that are built around the idea of a growth mindset, making it part of our classroom culture. In my class, my student’s practice another motion that helps them remember and use growth mindset. Before any challenging activity or assessment, my class practices their strong brain pose to remind them of their capabilities if they try their best and persevere.