I remember, back when I was a student, I would hear from time to time, “Attitude is everything.” I must be honest, though, what I often heard was (sad to say): “blah, blah, blah.” But, that’s ok, because what I heard come across louder and louder as I matured into a young woman, was: “Attitude is ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING.” And, now, as a middle-aged woman, I’m reminded of it EVERY day. Without going into too much detail, let’s say I learned a lot of this the hard way. But again, that’s ok. I’m human, and so are students. We have that in common, and it’s not a bad starting ground.

Instill in Your Students a Sense of Mindfulness of One’s Attitude:

Once you’ve built common ground with your students, subtly remind them, all throughout the year, that their attitude is affecting their schoolwork, plain and simple, right this very second, for better or for worse. Do it straightforwardly, and kindly. It’s feedback and guidance, not criticism. And, be much more specific than I was, by the way!

In thousands of classrooms across the world, there hangs a poster that says “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” It’s something Winston Churchill said when he was the Prime Minister of Great Britain. I say YOU should hang this poster in your room as well. Why? It couldn’t be more true. Or more appropriate for a classroom.

With education, as with life in general, it’s our mindset that determines how much we learn, not our innate intelligence. It’s been proven that attitude truly does make a big difference. What we put in, we get out.

Encourage the Growth Mindset vs. the Fixed Mindset

These days, unlike in past generations, we talk about attitude in terms of having a growth mindset versus having a fixed mindset. According to Jennifer Smith at mindsethealth.com, “The way we think about our intellect and talents not only affects the way we feel, it can also affect what we achieve, whether we stick to new habits, or if we will go on to develop new skills…you believe your intelligence and talents can be developed over time. A fixed mindset means that you believe intelligence is fixed—so if you’re not good at something, you might believe you’ll never be good at it.” By the way, here is a link to my Pinterest board called “Growth Mindset” for ideas I’ve been curating.

Words of Wisdom About Attitude You Can Share With Your Students:

Now, I would like to share some words of wisdom with you from people much more respected and famous than me. They’re all about attitude…

Barack Obama:
• “I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork…But, at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life…what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home,…none of that is an excuse for neglecting your homework, or having a bad attitude in school.”
• “Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures…Those people succeeded because they understood that you can’t let your failures define you…you have to let your failures teach you.” 

Benjamin Franklin:
• “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success, have no meaning.”
• “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”
• “Energy and persistence conquer all things.”

Beyoncé:
• “When I’m not feeling my best, I ask myself, what are you gonna do about it?”
• “It’s all about attitude and feeling good about yourself…”
• “If everything was perfect, you would never learn, and you would never grow.”

Ronald Reagan:
• “There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress, except those we erect ourselves.”
• “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose – somehow we win out.”

George H.W. Bush:
• “Every time you walk through those doors, make it your mission to get a good education.”
• “When it comes to your own education, what I’m saying is, take control. Don’t say school is boring and blame it on your teachers.”
• “And if someone goofs off today, are they cool? Are they still cool years from now when they’re stuck in a dead-end job?…If you take school seriously, you won’t have to settle for a job…you’ll have a career.”

Want to have your students take an active role in examining the concept of attitude and its effects on life while also having them practice essential ELA reading skills in a unique practice test that gets them reading multiple authentic sources? Then, try this: