The power of yet. I heard about a high school in Chicago where students had to pass a certain number of courses to graduate, and if they didn't pass a course, they got the grade "Not Yet." And I thought that was fantastic, because if you get a failing grade, you think: "I'm nothing. I'm nowhere." But if you get the grade "Not Yet," you understand that you're on a learning curve. It gives you a path into the future.

"Not yet" also gave me insight into a critical event early in my career, a real turning point. I wanted to see how children coped with challenge and difficulty, so I gave 10-year-olds problems that were slightly too hard for them. Some of them reacted in a shockingly positive way. They said things like, "I love a challenge," or, "You know, I was hoping this would be informative." They understood that their abilities could be developed. They had what I call a growth mindset.

But other students felt it was tragic, catastrophic. From the perspective of their more fixed mindset, their intelligence had been up for judgment and they failed. Instead of reveling in the power of yet, they were gripped in the tyranny of now.

So what do students with a growth mindset do? Well, they engage deeply. They process the error. Their brains are on fire with yet. They don't give up when something gets difficult. They rise to the challenge. They come up with creative solutions when the first approach fails. They put in the effort, and they don't see effort as something shameful.

How do we do this? There are many ways. One, we can praise wisely — not praising intelligence or talent. That has failed. Do not do that anymore. But praising the process that kids engage in: their effort, their strategies, their focus, their perseverance, their improvement.

When students fall behind, it's often mindset — not ability. And the power of "yet" can change everything. We can change the meaning of effort and difficulty. Kids just beginning to experience difficulty would fall behind otherwise — but with the right mindset, they start to love challenge.