1|Page Maria Elsa King English 100 course #0992 In-Class Essay (3rd Draft)

We are born with the ability to think for ourselves, form our own opinions, and arguments. However, along the path of early educational development we lose this ability. We are taught by our elders that thinking for ourselves is wrong and punishable. Take for instance a young student in a kindergarten class. The student interrupts in the middle of the lesson to ask why the sky is blue and not green. The teacher might then focus on the fact that the student interrupted the lesson. That student might be scolded and sent to the corner where he/she can learn to be quiet and is introduced to action and consequence. This teacher could have instead embraced the fact that the student was paying enough attention to care that the sky is blue and why not green? This early experience teaches a naturally curious child that it is not okay to ask questions because the consequence is sure to follow. Thinking seems frowned upon. That student learns that it is best to sit quietly and memorize the lesson so that he/she can later recite when called on it. In order to revert to our ability to think, and form our own opinions we must learn to achieve a growth mindset. In order to develop a growth mindset we must first recognize those areas in which we have developed bad habits which are due to our fear of thinking, and speaking freely. One simple way to commence is to exercise our writing. In Freewriting by Peter Elbow, he explains the importance of training ourselves to sit down and write for ten to twenty minutes per day. We must write quickly without stopping to edit or change anything. Elbow also points out that unlike speaking writing allows for more time to edit. We should try to write as if we are speaking to an audience requiring immediate thoughts or words. Elbows reason for learning not to edit as we write is that when we stop to edit, our ideas are interrupted and not allowed to flow as easily. Editing as we write is not necessarily our own doing, this is a result of the early school requirement to focus on editing and grammatical caution. When

2|Page we edit as we write, it is hard to keep moving along with our ideas regardless of the errors or flaws that can later be worked on. According to Elbow the practice of freewriting, will lead us to processing uninterrupted thoughts. When I first attempted to freewrite I stared at my journal for what seemed like several minutes for fear of not knowing what to write about. I contemplated for a while then I realized I could just write about the fact that I didnt know what to write about, before I knew it ten minutes had gone by. That was approximately 5 weeks ago. Now I cant wait to write in my journal because I have so much to say. That fear has subsided. I feel like my words and thoughts were being compressed in a box like a bouquet of helium balloons just waiting for the day they break free into the light. In Natalie Goldbergs First Thoughts, we discover that learning to trust our first instinctive thoughts will result in a more creative and honest piece or writing. Goldberg encourages the practice of writing without fear of offending someone, and of being judged by our peers. Writing openly and honestly is an easier way to argue a point or tell a story. If we are too worried or too careful about what we want to say, just as Peter Elbow points out, the thought is interrupted. It is better to let our thoughts flow like the never ending sea free of self-built obstacles or walls. We must learn to say what we feel or believe and then later trim the edges. After all, who wants to read a boring story free of opinions that are real or read ideas that are not always debatable? Once we learn these basic skills we can then focus on being true to who we are and what we are trying to say. In What You Alone Can Say, by Mary Pipher, we uncover that learning who we are and making sure to stay true to what we believe in will result in honest and clear writing. We must learn not to divert from what we are passionate about or try to be someone that we are not. We should not focus on being like someone else. That is actually harder to do. I imagine that getting caught in the web of artificial being, it is then difficult to see or form our own opinions because they werent our opinions to begin with. Pipher teaches us to be true to ourselves. A world we may not know existed might open up to us in the process.

3|Page Just as we learned to interrupt our writing ability, we also interrupted or ceased our ability to think in a critical manner. Our critical thinking skills are locked away in a dungeon where they are flogged twice a day and only fed rations of bread and water. The good news is that the critical thinking capabilities are alive and have only coiled themselves up in a dormant stage in a deep dark corner of this dungeon. In Critical Thinking by Bell Hooks, we learn that our natural instinct of wanting to know who, what, when, where, and why? is seriously interrupted through our early school age. This capability is affected by discipline and expectations of obedience during this developmental stage. I believe this starts as early as kindergarten where we are taught to sit with our legs crossed, and arm spaced apart from our classmates. We are expected to be at the ready to start memorizing our lessons. Hooks points out that by the time students reach college, they dread to think for themselves and would much rather memorize and recite the taught subject. According to Hooks, one sure way to re-learning critical thinking is to learn to solve problems. This can be done by going back to the essential basics of who, what, when, where, and why? This concept will open up a world of analyzing and evaluating. Learning to use our imagination is once again encouraged just as it was when we were toddlers, and our elders handed us a blank piece of paper, and a set of markers or finger paints. Not only were we encouraged to create beyond our imagination we were praised for trying hard. Our artworks were displayed for all to see and were bragged about with pride. In The Perils and Promises of Praise by Carol Dweck, she explains the importance of learning to achieve a growth mindset through praising children for their hard work and willingness to keep trying instead of praising them for simply being smart or capable. Dweck points out that praising someone for their intellectual capabilities is simply stating a final result of something but not quite an encouragement to keep going. I imagine it is like being in a race where two people reach the finish line consecutively. The winner is praised and told he/she is the best all-time champ. That winner is then simply done nothing else to strive for, he/she is already the best. On the other hand if the runner-up is patted on the

4|Page back, and praised for trying hard and working strenuously to get to the finish line, that runner-up is more likely to keep practicing, and keep trying to reach the goal. In the long run, that runner will probably surpass the next time around and even take it further to a bigger race. That runner has learned one of the secrets to success, which is perseverance and determination two elements which are success all in themselves. This individual has opened his/her mind as a result of this praise and will work hard to accomplish even more success. Combining all of these newly learned abilities and some not so new but simply dormant abilities can achieve a growth mind-set. In Superman by Sherman Alexie, he testifies that he developed a growth mind-set early in his childhood from the exposure to literary experimenting which his father made readily available. Alexie did not have many luxuries. He grew up in an Indian reservation where he was expected to succumb to the stereotypes that Indians were dumb, and were not encouraged to achieve much of anything. Since Alexies father loved to read and kept many books at home, Alexie decided he would teach himself to read. As he got older he advanced, and started breaking through the stereotypes. He also realized that overcoming these stereotypes was a choice. He achieved a growth mind-set by wanting to learn, always going further than he was expected, and not giving up. He felt saved from the realities of his difficult upbringing, and escaped to wonderful worlds through reading. I too believe that we can travel to any place in the world by reading a story. Alexie did that every time he picked up something new to read. His growth mind-set is proven through his life story of achievement despite the difficulties he was faced with in dealing with social expectations, and discouragement. Not only do I agree with Alexie in his belief that we can teach ourselves and break free from our stereotypes if we choose to but I can relate to his experience. I remember my own upbringing and difficult childhood. Much like Alexie, money was very limited for our family and worse yet, my father was an alcoholic who spent a lot of the much needed money on his addiction. Often nights were spent waiting up for him to come home only to experience immense fear when he did. In a drunken stupor he would

5|Page mistreat my mother and even threaten violence. Due to these domestic interruptions as I refer to them now, I had a difficult time concentrating in school and was often accused of daydreaming. I was desperate to escape my constant sadness, and fear. Thankfully I found refuge in books. I read books about boys, girls, dinosaurs, unicorns, and magic, anything I could get my hands on. These stories took me to worlds that were anything else but my own reality. I truly believe that if it had not been for these books, and the stories that helped me escape my scary world I would have turned to other comforts that may not have been the best for me. I could have easily been lost in a world of negativity and sadness. I truly believe that reading saved my life which was surrounded by anxiety, fear, and turmoil. If I didnt have these stories to be temporarily lost in, I may have diverted to a world of gang members and kids who learned to destroy their world as a means to destroy their pain within. Although we have strayed away from our instinctive ability to write, we have to start thinking without fear of reproach. There is hope to achieve a growth mind-set. We must stay determined and open our minds to think outside the box. There is no longer a kindergarten teacher telling us to color inside the lines. There is just us with our naked thoughts and emotions. We must try and try again until we succeed in having a growth mind-set of our own, and in turn teaching this concept to our younger generation to do the same. Not only can we save ourselves but we can help to save our children.