Ever since I heard this story, I’ve been working to change my communication with children about what is important. I think this comic says it better than my soapbox speeches. And you can substitute anything else for math, but I chose math because I hear that all the time.

*If you’re stuck on helping your child with a concept, try khanacademy.org or other sites like mathplayground.com to refresh your skills and make learning fun for both of you.

For more on why this is important, see this Scientific American article titled The Secret to Raising Smart Kids. It has some citations to research showing why this is so important at the bottom of the article.

Also, if I dare mention it, this is why I think Common Core State Standards Mathematical Practice 1 (CCSS MP.1), Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, is so essential. The way we have gone on historically has led to a lack of perseverance, but changing our values and how we speak about them can turn it around.

Feel free to share, and teachers and presenters, please feel free to use these comics in your work. Let me know if you do and how they came across if you feel like it.

Update: In the years since this was originally published, I’ve learned that it’s an illustration of mindset: fixed mindset vs. growth mindset. For more on this, read the HIGHLY recommended book that has changed millions of lives, Mindset by Carol Dweck.

And as always, please comment below!