Conclusion
Developing a growth mindset is not an easy task. Even as a graduate student I do not think I have fully developed a growth mindset, but I do know what the ramifications are of maintaining a fixed mindset. As a junior in college I was required to take a notoriously difficult course called Analysis. Just after the first lecture I decided that I was not going to do well in the course and I would be lucky if I ended the semester with a C. I doubted my abilities from day one and set low expectations for myself. Feeling like there was no point in putting forth all my efforts into this class, I decided to only do the bare minimum. All of my homework assignments were questionable quality, I rarely went to my teacher for assistance and I failed nearly all of my exams, yet I still thought I was going to pass the class. Inevitably the time came when I saw that D- on my report card. I was devastated and ashamed. I thought about giving up being a math major all together. When I was trying to decide whether to switch majors or to retake the course, with the same professor, one of my Economics professor’s reached out to me. He assured me that I would pass the course if I retook it and told me about his own experience with failure in graduate school. The type of love and support I got from my Economics professor is the same type of support I hope to give to my students when they are struggling to overcome any type of obstacle.
Overcoming that challenge was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do, but I did it. I came out the other end a smarter and more confident student and overall person. The feeling of achieving something unimaginable is remarkable and it is one that I want all of my students to feel at some point their lives. I will never forget all of the support I received from a myriad people, but particularly my Economics professor. Going through this experience made me realize that I wanted to become a teacher. Helping a student accomplish something that they never thought possible is the most rewarding thing I can imagine doing with my life.
Overcoming that challenge was the most difficult thing I have ever had to do, but I did it. I came out the other end a smarter and more confident student and overall person. The feeling of achieving something unimaginable is remarkable and it is one that I want all of my students to feel at some point their lives. I will never forget all of the support I received from a myriad people, but particularly my Economics professor. Going through this experience made me realize that I wanted to become a teacher. Helping a student accomplish something that they never thought possible is the most rewarding thing I can imagine doing with my life.