I get quite a few text messages that aren’t actually for me.
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Spam texts, wrong numbers, maybe someone trying to reach whoever had my number before me.

When my sister texted me “Can you speak to my 160 11th graders about being a counselor like how to speak to kids and all?” I replied: “Was this text for me? 😂 I don’t do public speaking”

That text was probably for my aunt, I figured.

“Yes!” She said! “Evergrowingeducator! Can you give some education tips?”

I laughed.

I had started evergrowingeducator about 3 months earlier. I was already sharing these messages with my teachers at Jewish Online School, and teachers from other schools started asking for these tips, so I started a whatsapp group and instagram page.

But typing on a computer was a lot easier than speaking to 160 students, live.

But my sister tried again: “Isn’t evergrowingeducator about going out of your comfort zone?”

Okay, she won.

I said yes to speaking to 160 11th graders. (and I LOVED doing it!)

And I said yes again to a group of principals that weekend.

And I've since said yes to 18 presentations for teachers ever since then. Over 1,000 unique teachers over the last year.

And it all started with “going out of my comfort zone” (and a little bit of sister guilt.)

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Tu Bshvat is a great time to bring up the concept of growth mindset in the classroom. Just as a tree is continually growing, we should constantly grow. Aim for more. Aim for higher. And go out of our comfort zone.

Having a growth mindset is a GIFT, and when we help our students nurture that mindset, we’re giving them more than just curricular standards or goals - we're giving them a gift that will help them tremendously throughout their lives. In relationships, jobs, and wherever Hashem leads their paths, having a growth mindset can help students get through life's challenges and come out stronger.
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Students need to be taught the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset. Many kids wrongly assume either “I’m good at something” or “I’m not good at it.” And that’s where it ends for them. They need to learn that abilities and intelligence can be developed with effort, perseverance, and learning.
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​Ways to introduce growth mindset into your classroom:

• Ask students at what age the brain stops growing (most students will say early 20’s)
• Teach students about neuroplasticity and how the brain is CONSTANTLY making connections. You can show brain scans which show this.
• Bring in a magic hat/wand and show a magic trick (You can search online for any easy trick) Then teach the students about a magical word that can help them overcome their hurdles. This word is “YET.”
  I can’t translate this Rashi... yet.
  I can't solve this math problem at all... yet.
  I don't know how to read such long words... yet.
  I'm not good at writing in script... yet.
  This doesn't make sense to me... yet.
  Adding "yet" takes you from being in a mindset of being stuck in a box - "I can't do this" - to a growth mindset of "I just need more time."
• Have students write down something they can’t do. Then, turn that into “YET”
• Ask students to categorize phrases into “Growth” or “fixed” mindset.

You can use these coloring sheets (last two pages) as a tool as well. One school told me they hope to make a big tree bulletin board with students adding leaves of their goals for growth!

​15Shvatevergrowingeducatorcoloringsheets.pdf​

The main thing is, to keep it going, 15th of Shvat, 16th of Shvat, and beyond. Growth mindset isn’t just a math equation that you “get” and then move on from. It’s a mindset for life. A never ending journey.

Some ways to encourage a growth mindset throughout the year:

• Value effort (over results)
• Normalize struggle
• Share stories of YOU going out of your comfort zone (like I did in this email!)
• Don’t grade every assignment
• Don’t praise a student for “being smart.” Praise them for their efforts and hard work.
• Use mistakes as a springboard for lessons. (When you, as the teacher, make a mistake - point it out.)
• Use growth minded language as a teacher and it will trickle down to the students
• Encourage risk taking (students should know their efforts are valuable, whether they got the result or answer correct or not)

I’d love to hear if you use some of this in your classroom.

Hit reply!

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Mushkie

@Evergrowingeducator

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PS: Was this email forwarded to you? Now that’s a great friend/boss/co-worker! Sign up for resources + educational inspo here.
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