New

New is all around us. The back to school feeling is one that, I believe, has stayed with many of us since childhood and has always been one of newness, excitement, and possibility. All slates are clean. All sheets of paper are empty. Everything is potential, upside, and unrecorded. The feeling of  “back to school” can be found in clothes with tags still on them, new binders, fresh paint on buildings… and have you seen Chubb Hall?

How many of you who are parents were as excited as your kids on Monday?

Research shows that not only students, but teachers, wear the proverbial rose-colored glasses at the beginning of the school year. Students have the highest expectations for themselves and teachers have the highest anticipation of students’ abilities.

As the year progress, pragmaticism starts to seep into the mix with optimism. Grades get returned, games are won and lost, goals become more concrete….

To assist, my next blog will feature highlights from the book Mindset, by Carol Dweck. The central idea of this book is that when we adopt a “growth mindset,” that is, an outlook that views intelligence, creativity, athletic skill, and other attributes as malleable, we are able to make gains in these areas. When one adopts a “fixed mindset,” that is, one believes that the aforementioned attributes are static or fixed, there is a barrier to achievement and progress.

I think it’s all pretty interesting stuff and I look forward to discussing it with you.

Have a great year!

Dr. Watts