One simple word can teach students to embrace a growth mindset and persevere through challenge.
A few weeks ago, my daughter burst through the door after school, ranting about her social studies teacher. “He’s making us label all 50 states on a map, and the test is in two days,” she fumed. Then she quickly descended into conspiracy theories.
“I think he wants us to fail! I think he likes it!”
She had, however, spotted a silver lining. She’d done the math and realized that even if she failed to identify a single state, she’d still earn an A for the semester.
“So,” she concluded, “I’m not even going to try.”