Taylor Swift believes in Growth Mindset

Taylor Swift believes in Growth Mindset

Growth mindset is a hot buzz word in education. I myself have been doing a lot of reading about it. I even have read "Mindsets in the Classroom" by Mary Cay Ricci.
P.S: A great read by the way check it out if you haven't already. 

This summer I had the opportunity to take two very special young ladies (my daughters) to their first concert. Taylor Swift played at the Canadian Tire centre in Ottawa on July 6th. We made the road trip, camped in a local campground and bought our red lipstick.

As a mom, I was a teeny tiny bit concerned to what they might see or hear at a concert. I want my daughters to have strong female leads as role models and to be honest it is hard to trust the image that can be put out there by celebrities.


I was blown away.

Right in the middle of the concert, while up on her elevated stage this celebrity opened up her heart. She shared from her own personal experiences. I didn't catch it all but this is what I did catch:

"Let me tell you what you actually are not

These three things are the things you really are not.

1. You are not someone else's opinion of you

2. You are not going no where because you haven't gotten where you want to go-YET

3. You are not damaged goods just because you've made mistakes in your life. 

You are:

You are your own definition of beautiful, cool, worthwhile:Those things are what you are. Your own definition of that.

You are someone who is wiser, stronger and smarter because you've made mistakes. Not damaged. Those are the things you are.

A Taylor look alike! 

Most importantly, you are someone who either there, or there, or there or there.....or wherever you are standing, you are going through your own set of problems, dramas, insecurities, issues, tragedies, ghosts, scars...You have your own set. 

 You have your own unique bag of problems that you are dealing with every moment of your life. 

What you are? 

You are a person who decided not to dwell on them and to put on a cool outfit and go out to a concert and have the best time ever with me tonight."

"Mistakes don't make you damaged-they make you clean."

Whoa!

Right on Taylor!

She didn't mutter the words growth mindset. She didn't talk about how the brain works. She didn't compare fixed vs. growth mindset.  She didn't do that. What she did was pour her heart into sharing what the philosophy behind growth mindset is just by sharing her passion for the people, her passion for happiness and her passion for growing as individuals.  

As I am starting to prepare for my new school, new students and new year I am reminded that it is not  the buzz word of the day that I need to focus on. I am reminded that it is those relationships with our students that will help them see and feel what growth mindset is. 

Thank you Taylor for reminding me of that!
I can say now that I am a self declared Swift fan because of that moment.

(Perhaps a Toronto show in the fall is necessary?)