Greatest Potential

WOW!!!! I had the opportunity to utilize what we have learned in this first week to help one of my students realize her potential and set the foundation for her to develop a growth mindset. Earlier this week my surgical technology students began a new chapter in their education; they began their surgical clinical rotation. This is an exciting and intimidating time in their learning in which they have been preparing for over the last three months.

One particular student began to tell me about the last few days she spent in surgery and as I was listening to her accounts she stated “I didn’t scrub in because I didn’t know how to do it.” A little back story is that she missed the lesson on how to assemble and use surgical staplers and this procedure required the use of a surgical stapler. So instead of rising to the challenge, she didn’t scrub in and stood back and observed. Immediately, I responded to her “you mean you didn’t know how to do that yet.” I watched as a lightbulb went off in her head and as she accepted my feedback she said, “I didn’t think of it like that, Mrs. V but I will scrub in next time and for anything else, I don’t know how to do.” I watched as her acceptance of feedback changed her way of thinking, and it happened in an instant.

Lacking the realization until recently yet is a powerful word that I have been using internally my entire life. I would not be where I am today without having a growth mindset and fighting my way through the difficulties that lead me to where I am today, right now, and right here.

As we have already learned in our reading that a person can have tendencies to have both fixed and growth mindsets depending on the situation. In comparing the fixed and growth mindsets from the graphic it is almost like comparing night and day. The day is bright and cheery while the night is dark are dreary. Having a fixed mindset is setting limits upon what one can achieve in life while having a growth mindset allows for endless possibilities. It is my goal to learn how to effectively teach my students a growth mindset so that they all will have the greatest potential to be successful.