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As our students celebrate the 100th day of school this week, it is a testament to our students’ grit, resilience, and ability to survive countless challenges. Some of which our parents and staff have been resilient to achieve too. At Aspen View Academy, we believe every student has the potential to learn, grow and succeed. One of the ways we encourage this belief is by creating an environment that promotes a growth mindset. This idea that our abilities and intelligence can improve through dedication, hard work, and the willingness to learn from mistakes is important to a strong life-long learning foundation and our school’s mission to develop future leaders.
Challenges at school are an opportunity for your children to develop new skills. When we hear students say, “I’m not good at this” or “I can’t do this”, we ask students to see the difficulties they are facing as an opportunity to improve. We celebrate mistakes and remind your child that mistakes are stepping stones in learning. Encouraging reflection and recognizing feelings that might come with failure, your child learns to accept that there is a lesson to learn by asking questions like, “What will you do differently next time?” This approach builds resilience and determination.
So, how can you help your child build up their resilience at home? Be open to sharing your own experiences while overcoming challenges, even as an adult. In addition to asking about the good parts of their day, ask your child to share a mistake they made at school. If you see your child struggling with something, use positive and encouraging language with specific feedback on what they did well. Highlight the hard work and new strategies your child tried as opposed to the end results. Encourage them with specific examples like, “That was so clever to break the problem down into smaller parts.” Encourage your child to practice this same mindset with siblings and their classmates when they make mistakes. The way we talk to others is often the self-talk we use with ourselves.
As we work together to build tomorrow’s leaders, let’s create an environment where challenge is seen as an opportunity, every mistake is a lesson, and every success is celebrated as a result of hard work and perseverance. With a growth mindset, the effort and determination our students learn at AVA will lead them to achieve great things.
Kristen Krieger
K-2 Assistant Principal
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