How to point a competitive streak at something that lasts longer than the scoreboard Every coach knows this kid. They sprint to the front of the line, keep score when nobody else is counting, and argue every close call. When their team loses a relay, the tears or the protests come fast. Sometimes they cut a corner to get there first: running when the game called for a bear crawl, or skipping the last cone. It is tempting to see that drive as a problem to manage. It is not. A

How schools can track social-emotional growth in ways that guide teaching instead of just filling a spreadsheet School leaders can tell you their attendance rate, their reading scores and how many students are on track to graduate. Ask how many students are more willing to take on a hard problem than they were in September, and the answer is usually a shrug. That gap matters. Persistence, self-talk and the willingness to try again after a mistake shape how students learn ever

By late October, the newness has worn off. The first-week energy is gone, routines that worked in September are slipping, and a class that once lined up eagerly now takes three reminders. Maybe a few students have gone quiet. Others are racing through every challenge and looking for more. If that sounds familiar, nothing is broken. Your class is telling you something. The middle of a season is the best time to stop, read the room, and adjust before small patterns become big o

Growth mindset gets taught in the classroom. It comes to life when kids get to practice it. Most schools already teach growth mindset ideas. There are posters about the power of “resilience,” and lessons on how the brain grows like a muscle, and morning meetings where students talk about learning from mistakes. Ask a third grader about the little train that could, a classic growth mindset story, and many can tell you all about it. But knowing about a skill and using it are tw

DashStrom Stands with the International Day of the Girl What International Day of the Girl and DashStrom both believe about girls, courage, and the freedom to try Every October 11, the world pauses for International Day of the Girl. The United Nations established the day in 2011 to recognize girls’ rights and the particular challenges girls face around the world. The UN describes it as a day that belongs to everyone who cares about girls: a moment to celebrate them and to amp

In the first week of DashStrom Coach Certification, we get to witness a transformation in real time. It's the moment a coach gets what our key phrase, finding your dash means to them. It’s when they can stop focusing on the lesson plan and is able to walk into a room already believing the session is theirs to run. It’s not because they memorized anything or out of repeated practice. Rather, it happens the moment the coach embodies the lesson, and something in how they see th

An encouraging, effort-based culture is one of the most powerful, and most measurable, levers a school leader has. If you stopped ten students in the hallway of your school this afternoon and asked them what happens when they get something wrong, what would they tell you? Would they describe a place where mistakes are data; proof that a hard problem is finally being wrestled with? Or would they describe a place where getting something wrong feels like a verdict on who they ar

Growth Mindset Training at Work, Summer 2026 "Confidence Camp" Shady Side Academy DASHSTROM PARENT RESOURCES As the 2026–2027 school year gets underway, we are thinking about the usual checklist: school supplies, schedules, new teachers, new sports seasons. But one of the most powerful tools we have for helping our children enjoy, thrive in, and push through the challenges of this year isn't on any supply list. It's the language we use every day, especially in the moments rig

Summer camp season has wrapped, and if you ask our DashStrom coaches how it went, you'll get the same answer: loud. Loud cheering. Loud "I did it!"s. Loud proof that when kids are given the right kind of challenge, they rise to meet it. Over six weeks this summer, DashStrom brought the only youth enrichment curriculum that trains the growth-mindset to camps across Pittsburgh, turning ordinary summer days into a season of small breakthroughs. Mood Boards tracked changes in cam

A child looks up from a worksheet, catches a teacher's eye, smiles, and keeps working. A coach kneels to a five-year-old's eye level before giving instructions. A shy student finally looks a new friend in the eye and, for a moment, seems a little taller. These are small moments, easy to miss. But a growing body of research says they do more developmental work than most adults realize. Eye contact is one of the first tools children have for building trust, and one of the last