This document discusses the importance of teaching students to value internal success over external measures of success. It notes that focusing on internal growth, like effort, persistence, and kindness, leads to stronger self-identity and allows people to better handle external failures. Students need consistent messages emphasizing that intelligence is earned through hard work rather than innate, and that self-worth comes from internal successes, not grades, money or other external factors outside of one's control.

1. Melissa Koh
Shona Schwartz

2. "Everyone has a talent...."?
"We are all winners...."?
“Everyone is smart in their own way…”?
How do kids interpret these messages?

3. "The result obtained by adding several quantities
together and then dividing this total by the number of
quantities; the mean."
"Synonyms:
Adjective: Ordinary, Medium, Mediocre..."

4. • We are created in the image of God
• Feeding the needs of our soul-our internal essence
• Accomplishing our mission for self-improvement

5. So what do we mean....?
Internal: External:
Effort
Values
Persistence
Kindness
Giving
Integrity
Grades
Money
Looks
Job
Home/Car
Charisma

6. * Hedonic treadmill vs. feeding the soul
* we control internal success
* The value:
internal success = stronger self identity
= external failures put in perspective

7. Clip from the movie happy:
-People want to achieve happiness
-Hedonic treadmill and its pitfalls-are we really happy
-Focus on internal growth and meaning actually makes
people happier

8. * Growth: intelligence is earned
--> resilience, collaboration, leadership
* Fixed: intelligence is innate
--> cheating, lying, anxiety, depression

9. (play 4:44-5:44)

10. Start at 2:20

11. Our students need to hear consistent messages to
internalize growth mindset and value internal success.

12. Examples:
• Emphasis on effort (internal growth) is important-
both for success and failure
• Check, do not assume a student’s effort!
• External success is enjoyable, internal success is what
matters!
• Self-worth is measured by internal successes