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KatherineMonterrosa
ProfessorOgbara
English100Section#0813
27September2014
GrowthMindsetsHelpStudents
Everysinglepersonthatisabletoreadandwrite,hastheirownidentitywhenitcomesto
literature.Experiencesintheirdailyliveshaveshapedthemtobethewritersthattheyare.
Personally,IbelievethistobetruebecauseofthewriterIamtoday.IamnotthewriterIwasa
yearago,insteadmywritinghasevolvedandwillcontinuetodosoforaslongasIcontinueto
write.MyidentityisshownwhenIwrite,bythewayIphrasemysentencesorexpressmy
feelingstowardssomething.Havingagrowthmindsetandaninterestforwritingisagreat
combinationbecauseyouwillalwayscontinuetotrytomakeyourwritingbetter.
Thetypeofwritersomeonebecomesdependsontheexperiencestheyhavebeenthrough.
IconsidermyselftobeastudentwithagrowthmindsetbecauseoftheeffortIputintomyschool
work.Ineverwaspushedbymyparentstoexcelinschool,theywouldntevenopenmyreport
cardstoseehowIwasdoing.So,Ibegantodopoorlyinschool,becauseIfeltthatifnoone
caredaboutmyeducationthenwhydidIhaveto?Thiswasaverynegativemindset,onethatled
metohaveterriblegrades.Thislateraffectedmewhenitwastimetolookatuniversitiesbecause
IknewthatnouniversitywouldacceptmewiththegradesIhadonmytranscripts.Honestly,I
dontregretthefactthatIhadverybadgrades,andifIcoulddoitalloveragainIwoulddoitthe
samebecauseittaughtmeavaluablelesson:thattheonlypersonwhoneedstopushyoutodo
thingsisyou.Afterrealizingthislessonibegantoputmoreeffortintomyschoolwork.For

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example,wheneverIreadabookwithwordsIdidnotfullyunderstand,Ipausedfrommy
readingandsearchedthewordseitheronlineorinadictionary.Ididthis,andstilldothis,to
everybookIreadwhetheritwasschoolrelatedornot.IfoundthatifIdidntdothisIendedup
notunderstandingwhatIwasreadingwhichwasawasteoftimeinmyeyes.Intheend,by
doingthisIendedupaddingmorewordstomyvocabulary,whichthenhelpedmewithmy
writing.
Ifirmlybelievethatpraisingeffortinsteadofintelligencehasagreatereffectona
studentsperformanceinschool.ItworksoutbetterbecauseWhenstudentsbelievethatthey
candeveloptheirintelligence,theyfocusondoingjustthat(Dweck).Wheneveranyofmy
teacherscommentedontheprogressImadeintheirclass,itmademefeelcontent,becauseit
showedmethatnotonlydidIfeellikeIwasunderstandingthematerialbutsomeoneactually
noticedaswell.FeelingfulfilledgavemethemotivationIneededtofinallybegintobelievein
myself.ItalsoshowedmethatactuallylearningandimprovinginsomethingIhadtroublewith
wasactuallypossible.Afterall,inordertogetbetteratsomething,youmustkeeptrying.
Inmypersonalopinion,studentsshouldbetaughtaboutgrowthmindsetsfromanearly
age.Thiswaytheycanunderstandthattheycanalwaysgetbetterinasubjecttheymightbe
havingdifficultywith.Alsosothattheycanunderstandthatintelligenceislikeamusclethat
strengthenswitheffort,ratherthananeyecolorthatisinheritedatbirth.(Yettick).Ifeelthatif
studentsunderstandthisfromthebeginning,thentheywillalwaysknowthattheycanbebetter
inschooliftheyreallytry.Iftheylookateducationfromthispointofview,thestudents
performancecanimprovegreatly.

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InalltheyearsthatIhaveattendedschool,thereisoneteacherwhoIbelievehelped
makemethewriterIamtoday.MostTeachersoftenconfuse"teachingagrowthmindsetand
exhortingkidstotryhard,Youcan'tjusttellachildtotryhardwithoutgivingthemstrategies
andsupportingtheirefforts."(Sparks).Thisteacherwasdifferentthanthis,shewasmyeleventh
gradeEnglishteacher,Ms.Fagan.Thewaythatsheexplainedthelessons,helpedmefully
understandwhatIhadtodoinordertoimproveinherclass.Icanactuallyrememberthe
complimentsthatshegaveme,allofthemcongratulatingmeonmyimprovementsinherclass.
ShewastheonlyteacherthatactuallymademethinkaboutwhatIwaslearning,insteadofjust
makingtheclassregurgitatetheinformationthatwasbeingtaught.Iwasnotthebeststudentin
herclass,butinmywritingyoucouldseemyprogressandthatIwasactuallylearning.Seeing
theprogresstellsstudentswhattheyvedonetobesuccessfulandwhattheyneedtodotobe
successfulagaininthefuture.(Dweck).Bylookingatmyprogressitshowedmewhatineeded
toimproveon.Seeingwhatididwrongreallyhelpedbecauseifullylearnedhowithadtobe
done.Ibelievethatbecauseofthis,Iendeduplearningalotinherclass.
Whatgavemethemotivationtokeeptryingisactuallyseeingtheimprovementsinmy
writing.Althoughatfirstitwashardtoseechangeinmywriting,lateronitbecamevery
noticeable.Forexample,whenMalcolmXwroteabouthowhestartedoffbycopyingthe
dictionary,Inmyslow,painstaking,raggedhandwriting,Icopiedintomytableteverything
printedonthatfirstpage,downtothepunctuationmarks.(MalcolmX).Hethenwentontosay
thatittookhimawholedaytocopydownthatonepage.Hismotivationwashispassionfor
knowledgeandbecauseofithedidnotlethimselfgiveup.Copyingdownthedictionaryone
pageattimepayedoff,Itwentalotfasteraftersomuchpracticehelpedmepickuphandwriting

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speed.(MalcolmX).Ialsobelievethatseeingtheprogressmotivatesyouaswell.Itisthattype
ofmotivationthatkepthimtrying,itisalsowhatkeptmetrying,anditisdefinitelyneededwhen
itcomestogettingsignificantlybetteratsomething,suchasliterature.
Inmyopinion,conformingtocertainwritingtechniqueslimitsusaswriters.Itteaches
studentsthatthereisonlyonecorrectwaytowriteandlimitstheircreativity.Forexample,when
Iwasinthesixthgrade,IwrotemyfirstEnglishpaperandIaddedmanyexclamationpointsto
showmyenthusiasm.Myteacherwouldalwayscommentandcorrectme,tellingmetouse
periodsinsteadbecausetheyweremoreprofessional.Tome,periodsmadethepaperseemvery
monotonewhileexclamationpointsreallydescribedwhatiwastryingtosay.Intheend,I
learnedthatIdidnotneedtorelyontheexclamationpointswheninfactallineededwaswords.
SoIbegantolearnmorecomplexwordstohelpmedescribewhatIwastryingtosayinmy
Englishpapers.Ibegantolookatsynonymsofwords,soIcouldstoprepeatingwordsinmy
essaysandinmyopinion,Ithinkthatithashelpedoutalot.Beforedoingthis,mypaperswere
veryrepetitiveandboring,basicallystatingthesamethingoverandoverthroughoutthepaper.
Wordsreallydomakeadifferencewhenitcomestowriting.Wemaylosecertainthings,suchas
usingexclamationpoints,inwritingbutintheendwegainsomuchmore.
Ialsolearnedthatsupportfromfriendsandfamilyhelpsnotonlyinlifebutalsoinyour
education.Ifeelthatifyouhavethatsupport,inthelongrunithelpsyoustayfocusedonyour
goals.Forexample,thesupportIreceivedfrommyolderbrother,Melvin,helpedmywriting
dramatically.Sincehealwayshasspokentomewithanadvancedvocabulary,Ifeelasthough
thosewordsrubbedoffonmewhileIwasgrowingup.Iwouldcontinuouslyaskhimthe
definitionofthewordsheused,andeverytimeheexplainedthem,hedidsoinawayasthough

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hewasreadingthemstraightfromadictionary.ThenifIstilldidnotcompletelyunderstandthe
words,hewouldcontinuetogivemeexamplesuntilIfinallyunderstood.Ibelievethatbecause
hewasmybrotherIwasnotafraidofaskingsomanyquestions,andithelpedmequitealot.I
thenwouldbegintoincorporatethosewordsintomyvocabulary.Lateron,whenIbegantouse
thosewordsinmyeverydayvocabulary,myfriendswouldalwayscommentonhowsmartI
was,butIneverthoughtIwassmarterthanthem,Ijusthadagreatamountofwordsinmy
vocabulary,whichmademeseemsmarter.
Personally,Ireallyenjoyedlearningnewwords.Istronglyfeelthatadvancedwordsplay
ahugefactorintobecomingabetterwriter.Thiswayyoucandescribeyourpointperfectly,
portrayingavisualthroughthosewords.Thisespeciallycomesmoreinhandywhenwritinga
essayorashortstory.Wordspresentwhoyouareasawriter,theyareabsolutelyeverythingin
literature.
Inconclusion,alloftheseexperienceshavecontributedtothewriterthatIproudlyam
today.Withoutthem,IwouldnotvaluewritingasmuchasIdonow.Ifirmlybelievethat
literaturehasbeenandalwayswillbeimportant.Itcandosomanythingsfromtellastoryto
inspiringsomeonetofollowtheirdreams.Literatureshapesouridentity,itmakesuswhowe
reallyare.

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WorksCited
Sparks,SarahD."'GrowthMindset'GainingTractionAsEd.Strategy."EducationWeek33.3
(2013):121.AcademicSearchPremier.Web.22Sept.2014.
X,Malcolm.LearningtoRead.ReadingsforRevolutionaryWriters.Bedford/St.Martins.
Print.24Sept.2014.
Yettick,Holly."StudiesSuggestWaysToInstillA'GrowthMindset'InStudents."Education
Week33.28(2014):9.AcademicSearchPremier.Web.22Sept.2014.