Growth Mindset in the Ancient World

Growth mindset was known long before renowned researcher Carol Dweck elaborated it around 2006. 2500 years ago, Pythagoras was testing to see whether potential initiates for his mystery school had it. Entry into the prestigious Academy was a high honor for the ancient Greek. If admitted, he or she (yes, they admitted women which was revolutionary for the time) would undergo years of extensive and challenging training into the mysteries of nature, geometry, and the cosmos. Pythagoras himself was said to have the ability to hear the Music of the Spheres, a clairvoyant capacity possessed by but few throughout history. (Listen to this post below.)

In order to enter the school one had to pass an initiation trial which demonstrated whether or not one possessed the growth mindset. The Pythagoreans took the candidate into a room and gave him or her an impossible challenge to solve. After some time, they brought the candidate before the whole school and asked him/her questions about the challenge. Since it was impossible, however, the candidate would have to admit they didn’t know the answer. The Pythagoreans would proceed to mock them quite harshly. If the candidate lashed out in anger, Pythagoras would come and escort them out, telling them they were not yet ready. If, on the other hand, the candidate retained their humility, Pythagoras would shake their hand and accept them warmly into the mystery school.

Growth Mindset Admits Ignorance

Obviously, Pythagoras was testing to see how willing students were to admit ignorance. He wanted to know if they, like Socrates (who came later), knew that they knew nothing. Comfort not knowing is the beginning of learning, for only an empty cup can be filled anew.

Growth mindset seeks those better and smarter than oneself. In Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, Dweck tells the story of Mia Hamm, world famous soccer player. Hamm grew up playing with players older and better than herself. She was content being less than them, knowing the profit earned from challenge would propel her farther than if she played with those less able than herself. The result speaks for itself.¹

Weightlifting for the Soul

When we lift weights, we temporarily damage the structure of our muscles through the exertion of effort. However, in the recovery phase, the muscles not only repair themselves, but build back stronger. The same holds true for every kind of body, soul, or spirit exertion. It’s why we teach as we do at Enkindle Academy, by having students exert themselves one day, letting them sleep, and then harvesting insights from that exertion the next day. This is how we keep them growing.

Growth Mindset in Educating Children

So, how are you raising your children? What are you encouraging them to do? Are you always playing it safe for fear of hurting their ego? Or, are you believing in them enough to challenge them? And, is the feedback you give them enlivening or deadening? As I suggested in last week’s post, Overcoming Perfectionism in Children, I would avoid giving your children grades for their schoolwork. Grades often encourage the meeting of a fixed standard, and they can often cause children to stagnate in their effort. Those who make the grade are encouraged to believe they are worthy because of it while those who do not start to feel they are not. Personally, I prefer not to use fixed standards at all because they are dead. A living standard is more based on the individual child and what they are capable of.

Back in my days teaching at Asheville Waldorf School, I never gave grades. I gave a detailed written report at the end of the year about each child. It was like the “story” of that child for the year, including strengths, areas to work on, character, and effort. The most life-giving way to think about feedback, whether academic, athletic, artistic, or whatever, is about acknowledging effort, strengths, and weaknesses. This keeps your children engaged through utilizing their strengths and working on their weaknesses, expending effort through it all.

Growing Into the Mystery School of Our Destiny

Pythagoras mocked potential students to see if they were ready for initiation. These days, the “mystery school” tends to live more within us than outside of us. Those who would enter the sacred place of their own wholeness need to be willing to meet the challenges life brings. “Nobody gets out of here alive,” so to speak. We all find humility, one way or another as life stretches the ego to grow beyond its own egotism.

The question that makes or breaks our success on this path is, “How willing are we to undergo the necessary growth life asks of us?” Life doesn’t judge our imperfections, but it does gives us ample opportunities to transform them. Here’s an example from my own life. Yesterday, I had the most challenging day I can recall in months, maybe even years. It was like being possessed by irritation. By bedtime, I felt like a ragged washcloth that had been squeezed out several times, and it was painful. Did this mean there was something wrong with me? Or, was life simply pointing me to where I needed to grow?

This is not an experience unique to me, but it belongs also to you and your children. How will you respond? What will you make of it for yourself and for them? What would the Pythagoras of your higher self say to you: are you ready to the enter the mystery school or not?

How We Can Help

Enkindle Academy offers prerecorded and live lessons for students in grades 5-9. We teach all academic subjects plus fine arts, creative writing, and empowerment groups for teens. We also offer 1-on-1 tutoring for all subjects including academics and fine arts. Visit our website for more info and free sample lessons. Remember to subscribe for weekly updates, tips on homeschooling, and special offers.

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1. Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, p. 25 ↩︎