The Super Power of YET! - Fostering the Growth Mindset

I don't know if there has ever been an educational idea that I have ever been as pumped up about as The Growth Mindset.  If you have not read this book,  you NEED to.

It.Will.Change.Your.Life.  
I'm not exaggerating.   I have applied it to my own life, to my mothering,  my marriage, my teaching, my everything.   And the book has a sister...

This book has a million ways to use this thinking in your classroom.

The main idea of the book is that you can have a growth mindset or a fixed mindset.   A growth mindset is having the belief that you can always improve,  intelligence and talent are not fixed and with work and time you can improve yourself in any area. It is the belief that potential is never really reached - you can always take it further.    A fixed mindset is having the belief that we are all born with a set intelligence (IQ) and sort of "bundle of potential" and we can't really ever get past that.   You are good at math or you're not, you are a good singer or you are not.  

The first time I read the book,  I bawled.   I had recently had a special education meeting about my son and received a report of his IQ.   It is low.  We knew that.  But under the score,  the information printed stated that we should expect that this IQ will remain within a few points for the rest of his life.  DEFEATING.   While reading this book I felt an enormous surge of hope and excitement.   I know that where he gets in life may not be in the typical range,  but his potential is NOT PREDETERMINED.  Holy wow!   It has changed the way we look at everything with him (and my other kids too), and we addressed this wording in his last meeting and had some of it changed.   It was like a weight off our shoulders.

I recently went to a training and the presenter talked about the power of YET.   That we might not be good at something yet,  but that doesn't mean we can't be.   What an amazingly powerful message for kids when they start in our class.  If we teach them to think in terms of YET,  then they are always striving to get there.   I was so excited about it,  that I went home and started working on this.  I am so excited to use this in the fall. 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Super-Power-of-YET-1925306

It is a whole packet of fun goal planning,  progress monitoring, positive thinking goodies to get your kids thinking about the power of YET.   It can be applied to any subject or any life skill.  It applies to baseball, singing, reading, math facts, ANYTHING.   I tried to make sure it could be used with kinder kids or 5th graders.  Please check it out if you get a chance!