When boys track head coach Sean McCarroll began implicitly referencing growth mindset to his athletes, he saw significant improvements in their work ethic and performance throughout the season.

According to “Mindset,” a book by Carol Dweck, people with growth mindsets believe their skills can be developed through dedication and hard work. As opposed to fixed mindset, this view yields a love of learning and resilience.

“We compete against other teams, but at the same time, we’re competing against ourselves to improve and become the best we can be,” McCarroll said via email. “I typically see more effort during practices, which usually almost always translates into better performances at meets.”

According to Golf Digest, Sergio Garcia said he won the Masters Tournament last week because of this philosophy. Garcia said he accomplished this by accepting bad outcomes and working harder.

Sophomore Morgan Semack experienced similar results as Garcia and McCarroll’s athletes. She said there is a need for the growth mindset while playing golf, which is a sport that requires patience.

She said she isn’t patient, but, she’s becoming more calm and focused thanks to her new mentality.

“I don’t have focus, and I don’t have patience for the sport,” Semack said. “I think it’s made me feel like, ‘Oh, I can keep doing it,’ even though I hit not so well.”

For the past two years, science teacher Steven Kosmas has tried to open students up to a different way of thinking by beginning the school year with a video teaching the benefits of such an attitude.

“Growth mindset is very liberating because it believes in everybody’s ability to grow as opposed to having fixed abilities,” Kosmas said. “I think when people truly believe in the growth mindset, they realize that they can get there if they’re stuck or in a sticking point. It just may take longer.”

Semack, said learning about it in Kosmas’s class was beneficial and hopes more teachers will also talk about it in class.

“I hope more teachers kind of encourage it because it’s a good thing, and it encourages you to keep persevering and keep trying,” she said. “Throughout life, it makes (students) keep going and persevering through challenges, even if they’re not even school related.”

To emphasize the mindset at professional development days, staff members are taught how to use and highlight it in their teaching.

Although Kosmas said he has seen growth in his students, some shift back to a fixed mindset later in the year. To combat that change, he said it’s important students instill a positive mindset everyday.

“I think growth mindset can impact you anywhere. I think there’s a continuum between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. I think we kind of switch back and forth depending on how tired we might be, what particular area it is,” Kosmas said. “Students that are struggling might see this as an avenue to being more successful, so I think the growth mindset can impact you in all areas of your life, and it’s a very powerful mechanism to be used in terms of growing and becoming more successful.”

One way Kosmas promotes the view is through reassessments. Tests, essays and participation reflections also contribute to a it, he said.

“I think reassessments at the high school level can be very positive,” Kosmas said. “It gives students a chance to relearn the parts of the material they didn’t learn. And of course, a growth mindset plays into that because people that have a growth mindset want to learn more, so it creates a positive energy.”

McCarroll said he wants to focus on explicitly mentioning the idea this season.

“For people who struggle to look at the opportunities rather than focusing on their limitations, this can be hard to do. As teachers and coaches, we often use the word ‘yet’ to emphasize the fact that while an athlete hasn’t achieved their goal yet, there is still the potential to grow and reach it,” he said. “Some people are naturally more athletic than others, but even they have to put work and effort into improving their performance if they want to succeed. I would certainly hope that all coaches at our school realize this and push their student athletes to be the best they can be—both on and off the field.”