Roseville City School District

Superintendent’s Message
October, 2019

Article

Growing our Minds…But How?

Education is what I am immersed in every day. Each day, I work with educators who are determined to help students reach their potential. We read the data, analyze results and grow from what we learn. What if I told you there is a mindset we can each adopt that helps every single one of us, as parents, community members, and #RCSDChampions?

The concept was first introduced to me by author Carol Dweck, Ph.D., and since then, many books have been published that explore what it means to have a “growth mindset.” For me, it’s about adjusting thoughts from “I can’t do this” to “I can’t do this yet.” The opposite of a growth mindset is a fixed mindset, which shies away from challenges and carries the belief that skills and knowledge are predetermined.

A growth mindset believes:

Skills and knowledge can be developed

A focus on improving is better than focusing only on what you are good at

Challenges are a way to grow and to develop 

We learn from feedback

So far this year, our staff has had one day of formal professional development under their belt, with four more days planned for the remainder of the year. While I know the days “off” may present challenges for parents and caretakers, I encourage you to adopt a growth mindset when it comes to understanding why these planned days of learning create the educational environment that is paramount to remaining a desirable, high achieving district. We can adjust our thoughts from “this really messes up our schedules” to “we want our educators to have access to all the learning they need to help our children be the best version of themselves.” 

Our staff development days include grade level and site level trainings, discussions with subject matter experts, research and implementation to increase student support and many other essential topics. 

I feel incredibly fortunate we are able to offer these dedicated learning days in a collaborative setting. I want to thank our community of parents, caretakers, teachers, administrators and support staff for making the investment in trying to be better each day for our children.

To learn more about a growth mindset, I’d encourage you to watch Dr. Dweck’s TedTalk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/carol_dweck_the_power_of_believing_that_you_can_improve?language=en#t-6006

As always, if you have feedback or a question, please drop me a line. 

Sincerely, 

Derk Garcia