Learning new things has almost always been easy for me. I pick up on new skills and techniques quickly and can improve my skills with little practice or effort. I know this because I experienced it over the years as a pitcher and as a clarinet player.
If you've read my previous posts then you know that I was a very competitive softball player for a long time. I was a good player, probably in the upper levels of skill for the sport, but I could have been better. I could have practiced more than once a week (and I only did that because my dad was paying for lessons and I liked my pitching coach). But I learned easily and was able to maintain my ability with little to no effort, so why try?
This strategy did not work out as well with band. In sixth grade, I was the best clarinetist in the elementary band. I learned the skills the quickest and didn't have to practice to keep first chair. By middle school I was in the top band but had fallen in the ranks a bit and by high school, I was in second band. I didn't like the feeling of failure but since I'd coasted on my raw skills for so long, I didn't know how to put in that effort to be better.
I did exactly what Dwek talked about the fixed mindset kid's doing, I ran away, I quit the band and pretended like it didn't bother me to do so. I blamed the hours that got in the way of my school work, I blamed the teachers for making practice SO unbearable. Now I realize I should have been blaming myself for giving up.
(Don't Give Up: Google Images)
My learning experiences at OU have taught me that I need to rely on myself rather than other people to help me out. I know I'm smart enough to figure out most things and I know where to find help if I ever need it but, being in a big environment where I don't know as many people has taught me to really focus and learn the material for myself.
I've also realized that I still suffer from fixed mindset. Often I'll catch myself putting in minimal effort on assignments to get the grade I want and nothing more.
I think I'd be very interested in learning more about the Growth Mindset this semester. I feel like I can implement these skills into my own life and maybe even pass on something to my mother who's a third grade teacher.
The only class that I'm currently worried about for this semester is my Magazine Editing and Publishing class which apparently requires me to complete an internship over the course of the semester. I have never done an internship before and I'm worried that I'll fail at it. I'm also nervous about being out there in the world (it's getting a little too adult for me if you know what I mean) but now I realize that all of theses fears stem from that fixed mindset mentality. Maybe I'll implement the Growth Mindset and conquer this class and then, who knows? Maybe the world!
(On Top of the World: Google Images)
