In this way mindset could become part of the anti-gifted backlash.
Precisely my point.
It took me a while to get there. Now in this thread it is all laid out... the good and the bad, the questions and the red flags to watch for.
Oddly, the only place "smart" comes up is when he gets in trouble. As in, "you're smart enough to know better." Sigh.
Some may say this appears contrived to create a negative association with the word smart, when the word is apparently used in a context of shaming a child. Truly heinous.
Possibly this reflects an undesirable expansion of the role of schools in raising children rather than educating them.
I personally find that to be an undesirable expansion, and believe the line may be a fuzzy one at best, depending upon the family's confidence in their own ability to raise their child(ren).
I do hope we get to hear what Carol Dweck has to say about her theory in the context of a frustrated, academically under-challenged kid. Please do ask the question if you get a chance, and let us hear what she says!
There is enough material here, that even if an opportunity does not present itself to pose questions in person, it may be well worth drafting a letter to her. The author bio in the back of her book mentions Stanford, and a quick web search shows contact info for her at Stanford.
PS. I would still ask her to autograph my copy of her book. The revelations of
mindset provide another tool... like other tools it can be used to build or dismantle.
