Any instructor working with adolescents has encountered demotivating statements from their students. “This is impossible.” Or “I’m not cut out for this” are common remarks that students make when they have to face a challenging situation. Any student who makes these statements has the wrong attitude, and they’re likely to give up once they hit a rough patch.

Normally, a self-defeating mentality only leads to failure. Therefore, education leaders must help their students develop a growth mindset. A positive attitude will help one overcome failure in school as well as outside the institution. Here are a handful of methods teachers could employ on their students to assist with this change:

Encourage Self-Analysis for Better Understanding

Students and their teachers stand to benefit greatly from honest introspection. Once you consider your previous actions, you can find out what factors led to your current situation. Usually, you shouldn’t beat yourself down but rather seek a different perspective from your previous actions. That is why you must candidly ask yourself, “Why.” 

Consider the following self-assessment questions

1. How do I fail to reach my goals today, and what’s the takeaway?
2. What is my daily progress towards my purpose, and am I on the right track? Why
3. Is my work worthy of a global audience? Why or why not?
4. Is this the best I can do? Can I do any better? Why or why not?

Compliment Their Effort Instead Of Outcomes

Many teachers habitually praise the overall performance of their students. This habit is not necessarily bad, but it only cements the perception that only the final outcomes deserve recognition. Therefore, a lot of students, even the hard workers, are not recognized. Educators should instead encourage the effort put in by their students as it often leads to growth. Also, students will learn how to tackle life’s challenges whenever a positive outcome is hard to come by—by putting in the work.

Recommend Appropriate Books Growth-Oriented Characters

One of the best ways to learn is through practical examples. Similarly, educators who want to cultivate a growth mindset should show their students other people that overcame different challenges. Therefore, refer your students to reading materials that showcase other resilient students working past their challenges to attain their goals. Doing so throughout the semester gives the students a constant reminder about the importance of resilience.

Encourage Positive Statements

In the beginning, we mentioned that the wrong attitude is frequently manifested in self-defeating statements. As such, you should discourage this kind of talk because they manifest what goes in in the mind of your student. On the flip side, encourage positivity that attunes them towards growth. Instead of “this is impossible,” your student would be better off saying, “I will need more time and effort to accomplish this.” Additionally, urge your students to monitor their utterances to find out whether they are mostly positive or self-defeating. That way, they’ll realize the problem exists early on and seek help.

A positive attitude doesn’t only favor students but everyone who realizes its benefits. Developing this mindset early in life helps you to always consider your growth, whether in schoolwork or at the workplace. Once you understand these tactics, you’ll easily inculcate the same into your students. Eventually, they’ll understand the value of developing a thick skin in the face of a challenge while working towards their goals.