Teaching is demanding—and when students actively resist learning, it can feel defeating. As education leaders, we must recognize these challenges while helping teachers grow. Simple advice like “change your perspective” often falls flat in high-stress moments, yet we know that the most effective teachers develop healthy emotional boundaries and learn not to take student behavior personally. Easier said than done—but it’s possible with the right support.
During my second year as an administrator, I evaluated the ELA department. A new teacher came to me in tears one day after school and expressed her frustration with her classroom. “I don’t think this job is for me. I think I might quit!” She wanted to walk out of her classroom that day and never come back.
Teaching ELA was hard enough, but teaching ELA to students who, she felt, did not want to learn, took her over the top. She said they mostly talked over her while she tried to teach or played on their devices. She told me that most days they put their earbuds in, waiting for class to end. The culture in her classroom took an emotional toll on her. I assured her that she wasn’t the only teacher feeling this way and that many of her colleagues had shared similar feelings at one time or another.
After she shared her feelings and frustrations, I asked her a question. “When do you feel smart?” I extended the question by asking, “Do you feel smart when things are done perfectly or when you are learning something new?”
She told me that learning new things usually flustered her. She realized that she often avoided new and challenging things because they made her feel like a failure. After she shared her answer, I suggested that she was partaking in “deficit thinking” and that she should use a growth mindset for herself and her students. I gave her two strategies to start with.
Growth Mindset Strategy #1: View Challenges as Opportunities
When she interpreted students’ behavior, she saw it as challenging and the reason she was unhappy at work. She began to see the students as troublemakers who were out to “get” her. But this wasn’t true. After she decided to try a growth mindset approach, she began to see challenges as opportunities.
The first shift happened with her second-period class. They had been the most difficult to get to answer questions. So instead of framing this class as a challenge, she framed it as an opportunity to learn. She asked each student to share their favorite song with the class, and they created a second-period playlist. She knew that her students loved to listen to music during class. So instead of making that an issue, she made it an asset.
After a couple of days using the playlist, she saw a noticeable shift in her students’ mood. When asked to pull off their hoodies or put their phones away, they were more compliant, and students became more productive during group and independent work time.
Growth Mindset Strategy #2: The Power of Yet
I read Michael Benjamin’s book “The Power of Yet”, and the message resonated with me. Yet is a powerful word that can help us cope with challenges while also offering hope that we will eventually succeed. I encouraged this teacher to consider her struggling students. I reminded her that failing a quiz didn’t mean they were incapable of learning. It only meant they hadn’t learned the new skill…yet.
Inspired to help her entire class gain perspective, she spent the next two weeks on a mission. She repeated the word “yet” to every student in the second-period class: “That’s okay; you haven’t learned it yet, but you will.” She told me that she knew her message was breaking through to the class when one of her students stopped her mid-sentence to say, “We know…we haven’t learned it YET.”
Fast forward a few months into the first semester, and things had completely changed for this teacher. Whenever she felt she wasn’t having her desired impact, she checked her mindset first. She told me that she tried to avoid “deficit thinking” that had ruined her classroom culture at the start of the school year. In a moment of clarity, she shared that she still had very challenging days with her second-period class, but at least now she could see the small victories. She told me, “I know we will get there, we just haven’t yet.”
Leaders can support the development of a growth mindset in teachers by encouraging them to observe students as they struggle and persist through challenging tasks. Watching students grapple with difficult concepts and ultimately succeed serves as a powerful reminder that learning is a process and that persistence pays off. These moments not only reinforce the idea that growth takes time but also offer valuable lessons for educators. By reflecting on their students’ resilience, teachers can deepen their own commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
Bonus Growth Mindset Strategy
Video can be a powerful tool in this process. It gives teachers the chance to observe classroom moments—both their own and others’—with fresh eyes and a reflective lens. Rather than aiming for perfection, video encourages teachers to identify small shifts, celebrate incremental wins, and approach their practice with curiosity. It reinforces the message we give to students: progress matters more than perfection. By using video as part of professional learning, school leaders can foster a culture where growth is visible, supported, and ongoing—for both teachers and students.
Below is a video education leaders can share with their teachers to support a growth mindset.
About the Author
Antonia Fields has experience teaching elementary and middle school art and middle school ELA in Indianapolis, IN. She has worked as an instructional coach, district curriculum coordinator, and assistant principal at the elementary and middle school levels. As an educator and leader, she focused on ensuring lessons were standards-based, rigorous, and student-centered, with students actively owning their learning.
Fun Fact: Antonia was a makeup artist for New York Fashion Week for several years.
