Educators value the success of all students. Educators care for students and act in their best interests.
As an educator, I know that every student deserves to feel valued, supported, and is capable of success. This means supporting students academically, socially, and emotionally. Building strong relationships with students and creating a learning environment where students know it’s good to make mistakes shows students that this is something I believe.
I read Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck and it ties in with this standard really well. Dweck talks about the importance of a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, people are capable of change and learning. Our brains our like muscles that, with hard work and learning, can grow and develop. The alternative is a fixed mindset: the idea that you are either born smart or not.
This is important to keep in mind not just as an individual but as a teacher. If an educator approaches their students with the idea that their intelligence is fixed, they won’t put in the same effort to teach as one that knows intelligence can increase with hard work. It is also applicable when giving feedback to students. Telling a student that they are smart when they do something well, rather than commenting on the practice and hard work they have put it can have dire consequences. As Dweck’s research shows, when students are told they are smart, they won’t take risks and they don’t think it’s okay to make mistakes. When a student is praised for their efforts, they will continue to put in more effort. This will lead to success in more students.
For more on this standard, please explore my related posts:
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