I'm sending you a book called The Artist this week... in celebration of our I MAKE Thursday Art and Growth Mindset Club starting tomorrow. 🎉
I hope the return to school has been as smooth as possible. Ours has. Though there was a bump (there are always bumps, right?).
We rented a cargo bike from the council last week. A massive one. The kind that can fit two wild kids, two scooters and a load of Lidl booty.
Naturally, I decided to learn to ride it on my first ever school run. Why not eh? It's only the highest-emotional-stakes journey of the September calendar.
Someone said, "just go for it."
My gut said "You should practise first."
I thought, "Erm… growth mindset I guess?!" 😣
So I wheeled it out like a wobbly toddler with a trike in the nursery playground.
I couldn't steer it. Took it wide into the road, ended up freaking out and walking it meekly down the hill.
Wanting to set a good example, I thought, no, show the kids you can be scared and still try.
So I jumped back on, lost control within seconds, and went straight into a parked car.
We're fine. The car's fine. My scream probably woke up sleeping neighbours. My knee has recovered. (My ego is taking longer.)
I went nowhere near the beast for three days. It sat outside my house taunting me.
But I couldn't give up, could I? This is what I teach for a living.
So on Sunday after bedtime, I took it out, at dusk when I thought there would be few people to witness my humiliation. I went round the block about ten times, just practising turning. Then on Monday I went a bit further, ferrying workshop stuff around on the quiet streets (40/60 cycling/pushing it). Now I'm cruising around with the kids in it, like a hipster delivering sourdough baguettes from Dusty Knuckle.
The moral of the story is not "override the fear and go for it."
I did that, and it was completely stupid.
It's this: don't underestimate the power of the small steps.
Growth Mindset isn't about throwing yourself into the scary thing all at once (sometimes, maybe, but not on the regular). It's starting with the teeny, tiniest part of the scary things. And then doing them on repeat, in the dark, round the block, until the big one is just a normal Tuesday.
Which brings me to this week's book:
The Artist by Ed Vere
This one's about a painter who's completely sure of herself until something goes wrong. The book isn't really about the going-wrong bit. It's about what happens after: how she finds her way back, once her confidence has taken an almighty whack. When I read this one with the kids next week, I'll be asking:
- "What's something you're really, really good at, and how did you get good at it?"
- "Has something you made ever gone wrong, even though you were sure it'd be great? What did you do next?"
- "If your drawing [or magna-tiles tower, or K-Pop dance, or loom bands bracelet] went wrong tomorrow, what's one tiny thing you could do to get back to it. Even just a little bit?"
Because that's where the wins are. Not in never crashing the bike. But in getting back on the beast. Round the block first, in the dark, a few times. Until you've found your confidence again and you're loving it!
Love,
Becca