When reading the article "The Secret to Raising Smart Kids" by Carol S. Dweck (Scientific American, 2015), I came across multiple new and interesting pieces of information I did not consider when comparing and contrasting the values and ideas of a person with a "fixed" vs. "growth" mindset. The one point that I found to be the most pertinent in regards to the dangers of possessing a "fixed mindset" study is when Dwecks claims, "Many people assume that superior intelligence or ability is a key to success. But more than three decades of research shows that an overemphasis on intellect or talent—and the implication that such traits are innate and fixed—leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unmotivated to learn." This was
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This is due to the fact that I wholeheartedly believed my peers when they told me that "I was very smart", or "Very good at Math". The more I was praised for my intelligence as a mathematician, the more my ego and pride grew as well. While it is certainly important to have confidence in your proofs as a mathematician, you must be weary of the pitfalls that can result from being too confident in your solutions. One example of how I let my ego get the best of me as a mathematician was in the 4th grade when I decided to leave the accelerated Pre-Algebra course I was invited to attend. I left before the end of the school year simply because my friends had decided to leave and I was complacent with my mathematical skills at the time. This is a decision that I now greatly regret now that I no longer hold a "fixed mindset" in regards to my skills a s a mathematician. I believe that there is always room for improvement in any area, no matter how skillful or knowledgeable I may be in that specific field. In other words, I am a firm believer in the Aristotle quote, "The more you know, the more you know you don't know." It wasn't until I entered my sophomore year of high school that I finally began to comprehend how ignorant I am of the world around me. When I say "ignorant", I am referring to how clueless I am of subjects that others have spent years and years practicing and studying. Even though this was a rude awakening for me, it was much needed as it forced me to adopt a "growth mindset" in every facet of my daily life. If I hadn't awakened to the significant impact a "growth mindset" could have on my development in every aspect of my life, I would have never become an All-State Track and Cross-Country runner in high school, or a Computer Science major at Gonzaga University. Furthermore, attaining a "growth
This is due to the fact that I wholeheartedly believed my peers when they told me that "I was very smart", or "Very good at Math". The more I was praised for my intelligence as a mathematician, the more my ego and pride grew as well. While it is certainly important to have confidence in your proofs as a mathematician, you must be weary of the pitfalls that can result from being too confident in your solutions. One example of how I let my ego get the best of me as a mathematician was in the 4th grade when I decided to leave the accelerated Pre-Algebra course I was invited to attend. I left before the end of the school year simply because my friends had decided to leave and I was complacent with my mathematical skills at the time. This is a decision that I now greatly regret now that I no longer hold a "fixed mindset" in regards to my skills a s a mathematician. I believe that there is always room for improvement in any area, no matter how skillful or knowledgeable I may be in that specific field. In other words, I am a firm believer in the Aristotle quote, "The more you know, the more you know you don't know." It wasn't until I entered my sophomore year of high school that I finally began to comprehend how ignorant I am of the world around me. When I say "ignorant", I am referring to how clueless I am of subjects that others have spent years and years practicing and studying. Even though this was a rude awakening for me, it was much needed as it forced me to adopt a "growth mindset" in every facet of my daily life. If I hadn't awakened to the significant impact a "growth mindset" could have on my development in every aspect of my life, I would have never become an All-State Track and Cross-Country runner in high school, or a Computer Science major at Gonzaga University. Furthermore, attaining a "growth