Many students walk into a classroom intimidated by their peers. This only worsens moving up from elementary to middle school, then middle school to high school. The less privileged children automatically think they have less of a chance at succeeding than a more privileged student solely based on finances, home situations or amount of support (or lack thereof). This is all due to the preconceptions students have when walking through those doors. These preconceptions often include, “stereotypes or simplifications” which may “[provide] a foundation for building new knowledge” or be completely inaccurate.

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"When a teacher only rewards the A students they have molded students to have a fixed mindset, not being as open and willing to grow."

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When teachers create the environment of “not yet” they don’t necessarily reward failure, but instead applaud the student for taking the jump of attempt. They encourage growth with acceptance of all stages in the learning process. Rather than only rewarding the kids who made an A on their homework, this mindset allows the rest of the kids to experience praise for trying and being willing to learn from their mistakes. When a teacher only rewards the A students they have molded students to have a fixed mindset, not being as open and willing to grow. These students begin to believe that their “biggest goal [should be to get] the next A or the next test score.” If those students receive anything less than an A they are not as receptive and tend to shut down. Another consequence of this behavior causes the students with lower grades to begin to compare themselves against the A students which may decrease their willingness to learn and grow. The study mentioned in the Ted Talk proved that students who “failed” the first time would cheat in the next test rather than study and try again. This behavior is defying a growth mindset. Since each individual learns differently and at varying paces, rewarding each form of effort is crucial to breaking this mold of students with fixed mindsets.