Grinding & Growth Mindset

I walked by a parking lot and observed an ageless scene: a group of teenagers skateboarding. I’ll put aside my concerns about the lack of social distancing going on, for what are teenagers without breaking rules meant to keep them safe? I imagine that for 16-year olds, bonding via kickflips and 50/50 grinds is much more important than face masks and yet more family time.

I’ve long been fascinated with skateboarding (and not just because I was never able to land a trick in the few years I pretended to be part of the illustrious group). Kick, push, roll, approach curb, fall. Get up. Kick, push, roll, approach curb, fall. A few times in those couple of hours, someone lands a trick and everyone gets excited. Rinse and repeat.

It’s easy to see why so many people immediately disregard it as rule-breaking manifested and a big waste of time.

It’s hard for me, though, to understand how people can’t see the life lessons being covered in those kicks and pushes, in those falls. Maybe it’s because I always wanted to be them. Maybe it’s because I’m in education and always try to see the good in kids before the bad. Maybe I’ve never experienced skateboarders ruin my favorite parking lot with their curb wax and their fun. Either way, I can think of few examples of Growth Mindset in youth better than skateboarding.

What is the screw that binds the wheels of any skateboarding session? Persistence.

Persistence is what compels an adolescent up off the pavement just to try that waste-of-time trick again after just having failed fifteen times. Persistence is what turns minutes into hours when you can turn a kickflip but you can’t land it. Persistence is what lands the kickflip and then what makes it routine weeks later.

In the classroom, on the playground, on the soccer field, that is exactly what you want kids to embrace--that it is hard and that you can do it. It may not happen the first time. In fact, you know you’re on the right track if it doesn’t happen the first time. The goal of learning is not repetition of something you already know, but rather trying to grapple with something you don’t. Whether it’s a kickflip in a parking lot or adding fractions, persistence gets you there.

And are you likely to push boundaries (read: break rules) along the way? Sure. That is part of growing up as well. But as I watch skateboarders (and as I compartmentalize my concern for their lack of social distancing amidst a pandemic), I can only see them through the eyes of a teacher. They are students delving more deeply into a passion, making mistakes, and they are endlessly trying again.

Just please put on a mask and wash your hands.