Dr. Sam Goldstein and I have emphasized the concept of mindsets in our books pertaining to resilience. We have defined mindsets as assumptions and expectations that we possess about ourselves and others. We may not always reflect upon or even be aware of these assumptions, but they play a major role in determining our actions and behaviors. We have described the features of a resilient mindset, a mindset associated with optimism, hope, satisfying interpersonal relationships, and effective coping strategies. During the past few weeks millions of children and adolescents have started a new school year. Thus, I believe it is an opportune time to devote this article to a theme I have spoken and written about extensively during the past decade, namely, the mindset of educators who truly enrich the hearts and minds of students. A number of the ideas presented in this article were initially articulated in a presentation I gave and a paper I wrote for the Center for Development and Learning (CDL) in Covington, Louisiana and were further elaborated upon in a chapter and article I wrote for Learning Disabilities Worldwide (LDW) in Weston, Massachusetts. Both of these groups are headed by wonderful, dedicated individuals, Alice Thomas…
