How Taking Chances Spurs Developmental Growth

So often I think of the quote ‘what would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?,’ and how this philosophy not only drives important developmental growth for students, but also helps them discover new parts of themselves. We see it in the classroom, the art room, at All School Meeting, and on the athletic fields, as students take little steps and begin to see themselves in new ways. Over my 13 years at GUS, I’ve seen shy students come alive in the musical, future All-Americans try a new sport for the first time, and tentative writers become award-winning poets. For GUS kids, the possibilities are truly endless. While this may seem aspirational and idealistic, at GUS, this phenomena is very real and the implications are very important. 

Erik Erikson, in his stages of development, discusses how competence is the key trait essential to development for young people between the ages of 5-12. Conversely, incompetence is connected with inferiority. As parents, we see this after the first soccer practice when our child doesn't want to go back, or when trouble with a math problem translates to ‘they aren’t good at math.’ Over and over again, as they are asked to attempt new challenges, young people inevitably also look for signs they are good at these things and can face compounded difficulties if they find they are struggling with something that used to feel easy. Feelings of inferiority and superiority can have a profound effect on development. When a child is feeling inferior or incompetent, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to find success, particularly if they don’t know how to work through those feelings. These feelings of incompetence in one area can often translate to a child giving up in other areas. Conversely, feelings of superiority in one area may cause a child to lose focus on other areas, or abandon trying new things, content with feeling comfortable over trying something challenging or new. All of this significantly affects a child’s learning experience, their development, and who they will become as they grow into adulthood.

This is why a school that encourages a growth mindset is so crucial. At GUS, in the classroom and out, we make it safe to stumble, to try new things, and to put yourself out there. Failure isn’t an end point, it’s a stepping stone and with repeated practice, students often find success. Doors they previously thought were closed soon appear wide open. This is one of the reasons I love that our athletic teams are by grade, not by try-outs. This makes sports accessible to all children, not just the kids that grew up playing, but also for the kids who have never played before, who often learn they are better than they thought! We also see this translate in other ways - a kid who saw themselves as a more competent soccer player, who helped support newer athletes on the field, now being supported by those same students, willingly taking risks on the stage, excitedly dancing and singing in the musical! That is what is so amazing about GUS, our model builds the kind of confidence that allows students to see the value in trying, inside and outside the classroom.

What is particularly interesting about a growth mindset is that it often develops more naturally for students who struggle academically. They get more practice at working through a challenge to find success. The students who feel capable in many areas, academic and even social, are the ones we need to keep a close eye on. When faced with challenges, these young people tend to internalize difficulties and see them as failures, damaging their sense of self. As a school that requires students to constantly put themselves out there, we offer important scaffolding that makes challenge expected and more manageable for all students. A great example of this is our Friday morning All School Meeting. From sharing mindful moments in second grade and reporting the tides in fourth grade to hosting the whole meeting as an eighth grader - students take small steps that lead to comfort with public speaking. When eighth graders take the stage at Evening With the Graduates to share their “This I Believe” speeches, they have years of intentional, small moments that have spiraled and grown to bolster them and provide exactly what they need in that moment - a high level of competency in public speaking – something many adults still struggle with.

Students who sing, dance, give speeches, travel, play on teams, build, create, find success, battle through failures, overcome roadblocks, and enthusiastically accept challenges together truly graduate as young people capable of doing anything. Year after year, I’m always amazed to see new talents realized, and embraced, after students are consistently, yet gently, pushed to try new things. Particularly during the awkward middle school years, helping our students see themselves as leaders, artists, athletes, musicians, academics, and so much more allows them to see futures for themselves that are bolder and brighter. There is no doubt this has important carry-over to the classroom experience, at GUS and beyond. Many secondary schools, public and independent, comment that GUS alumni are active in so many areas of school life. They try new sports, start new clubs, and take challenging course loads. They take part in student government, help in admissions efforts, and are still confident speaking in front of a crowd. Developmentally, these young people are well-rounded, community-minded, and uniquely individual in ways that identify them as GUS kids. They know who they are so they can move forward in their development, entering Erikson’s next stage that focuses on identity, and transition to adulthood prepared and ready.

At GUS, we want students to feel comfortable taking academic risks, putting themselves out there, and taking small steps to help them understand their sense of self in new ways. If competency is key to development, we offer so many ways to help students grow and learn, and become happier, healthier individuals. Through deliberate and intentional program development, inside the classroom and out, throughout their time at GUS we lead students on a journey asking them to ponder not only “who am I?”, but also “who do I want to be?” As a result, GUS students develop a confidence that allows them to move beyond any seemingly pre-determined definitions of self to follow their own paths with confidence and independence – paths that lead our students to truly anywhere they want to go, paths to endless possibilities.