This article is written by a member of our expert blogging community.
Whether you call it
your mindset, your paradigm, or your world view, the lens
that you look through, intentionally or not, and interpret the world around you
and your place in it is important to identify and understand. Dependent upon
your age, this lens has been honed by years of messages from those around you,
your own experience, and the outcomes of the choices you’ve made. No one is oblivious to these pressures. If the messages you have received are
positive ones, like
"You are capable"
"You have integrity"
"You make good choices"
your mindset is different from the person who received negative messages, like
"You are
unworthy"
"You lie and cheat with every breath you take"
"You make one poor
decision after another, no wonder you are in the position you’re in"
The “tapes” we play in our head each day contribute to our mindset.
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Mindset is important
in afterschool for many reasons, but two of them are these:
Your mindset will affect the students in your program
The mindset of your staff members will affect the students in your program
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· You and the rest of your staff play an integral role in bringing strong, positive messages to your youth
who are building a paradigm and mindset. If you have a
positive attitude it will set the tone for your staff to have a positive
attitude which will then set the stage for young people to participate in a
constructive way in your afterschool program.
It’s important that you understand the importance of what Covey calls “carrying your own weather.” Looking for
the positive things in your program will allow you to build on your strengths
and everyone will be able to share in this attitude. Even when it is “stormy” in your program,
you’re overburdened by hiring new staff, students feel pressure because of
upcoming tests, or any number of other things that create tension, when you
“carry your own weather” you look for the rainbows rather than the clouds and
this creates a learning environment for everyone.
You and your staff
play a pivotal role in how your young people see themselves. I think of the young student who responded to
my comment about how well he was doing his homework by pointing at his Program
Leader and saying, “She said I was smart, so I am.” That message from her resonated in his mind
and he believed himself capable, and as a result, he was. Your words matter to youth. Use them to support and build up. Share a positive mindset with students and
help them develop one of their own.
Photo via (cc) Flickr user shock264
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