We’ve all said it: “They just can’t do it… yet.”
But what if that tiny word is quietly lowering the bar?

In this episode, Mona shares her 🔥hot take and breaks down why “yet” isn’t always as empowering as we think and how it can unintentionally mask low expectations. You’ll hear stories from Mona’s own classroom, what a visiting teacher helped her realize, and what to say (and do!) instead of leaning on “yet.”

💡 Perfect for teachers who believe in growth mindset, but want to put it into real,  actionable practice.

Do you know what I’m talking about when I say, “YET” or “a Yet mindset”?

It came from the growth mindset work of Carol Dweck in 2006. Growth mindset is the approach to thinking about learning. With effort and attention toward a skill or problem one can increase their competency or capacity, they can learn. When we have a fixed mindset, the opposite of growth mindset we just believe “it is what it is”. Welp, I’m 5 and I can’t do a cartwheel but all my friends can. Guess I wasn’t born to flip.

As teachers and parents and adults we want to help children develop a mindset that they can grow and see that effort and hard work are the way we grow. We want to help students develop the work habits of growth mindset.

Over the last 10ish years teachers have developed activities, games, routines, and displays that line the walls and fill classrooms and schools with growth mindset. We’ve started to shift the way we talk ourselves and help students shift the way they talk about their learning. It truly is inspiring.

Think for a minute about how you’ve shifted your practice or how you are intentional about helping students develop a growth mindset? 

Maybe you’ve adopted a Growth Mindset approach to: 
  • Grading 
  • Feedback 
  • Facing failure 
  • Conflict resolution 
  • Taking responsibility for actions 
  • Tackling complex work 
  • Test scores 
  • And so on… 

But today’s episode is all about the problem with “yet”. So, let’s talk about “yet”. 

Back in 2017 I reluctantly moved to teaching middle school from 3rd grade. I dreaded pretty much everything about the move– switching classes and only having my homeroom once a day, collaborating with other teachers about students, aligning our practices and approaches (which I knew would be a challenge), teaching only one subject, and physically moving all of my stuff. However, the glimmer for me was getting to decorate a completely new, empty room. I immediately started to gather ideas on Pinterest. I printed out fun letters and cut and laminated them for my walls. I printed huge letters that spelled FOCUS and hung around the clock making the O the clock face. I also printed out Y E T that I hung over the windows that looked out over the parking lot. I believed in the Power of Yet. (Thanks Carol) 

  • I can’t tie my shoes, yet. 
  • I can’t do a cartwheel yet.
  • I can’t remember how to multiply yet. 
  • I can’t walk respectfully in the hallway yet. 
  • I can’t focus on my work, yet. 

I was armed and ready for my middle schools with the power of yet. I was ready to teach them that with a growth mindset– effort, hard work and perseverance in the face of challenge they couldn’t do it YET. 

I love actually love this simple reframe. WE can prompt students to shift their mindset in the moment with just one word. 

But that’s not what this episode is about. I want to talk about why I think this phrase “The power of yet” and attaching “yet” to phrases is problematic in some ways. 

It started when a teacher was visiting that classroom I described earlier. I worked at a school that hosted LOTS of visitors. If you’re listening and you have visited that classroom I’d LOVE for you to reach out. I wish I would have kept a log or guest book or something to connect with the folks that I learned with. Anyway, if you’ve observed me send me a message on instagram or email me at hellomonamath@gmail.com. 

So, on this particular day I had a chance to chat with a few teachers after the class dismissed. This teacher, also a ⅚ teacher gushed about the thinking my students were doing. She asked me questions about how I got them to be so focused (hint: it wasn’t the letters on around the clock) and how I got them to care about showing their work, something her students rarely did. We chatted about how she observed students in a turn and talk actually talking about their strategies. They described what they did and even referred to the problem citing it to prove why they made the moves they made. Then she said a phrase that is SO common…. One I’ve said myself…. “My students can’t do this kind of thinking yet.” 

There it was…YET. This is the problem with yet. 

It’s our scape goat for saying a “these kids can’t” statement. The yet lessens the burn by adding a tiny anecdote of hope. 

I know when I hear a teacher saying these kind of statements they are: 

  • Tired because they’ve tried so many things that didn’t work 
  • Frustrated that others are having success and they just can’t seem to find a way to help their students 
  • Disheartened and scared that they are failing their students 

I know teachers don’t say these things because they hate kids or don’t want them to learn. 

However, when we use language like “My students can’t….” with the “yet” on the end we aren’t positioning ourselves in a growth mindset space. Instead, we’re making excuses, masking, and stalling any growth that might be possible. 

Statements or even thoughts like this communicate: 

  • Low expectations for ourselves and students– when we say “well my kids aren’t doing that yet.” or “my kids aren’t ready for that kind of independence.” What we’re actually doing is lowering the bar. How would it feel as a parent or auntie if your child was playing limbo and everytime they went up to the bar to go under it, get silly, bend in a funny way, the person holding the bar held it up over their head so they could just walk through. At first your kiddo might be relieved, but then soon they would realize they were being treated differently and missing out on the fun.
  • What if every time your kid got up to bat at baseball the coach brought out a T and put the ball on the T instead of pitching it to them? Your kid at first might like the ease of hitting, but then realize “wait… I want to do it like my friend. Do you think I can’t do it?” Next thing you know our kids start to make some assumptions about themselves and then…. Their fix mindset starts to form. “I’m not able to hit the baseball from a pitch so I use a T. I can’t do that.” This is typically when we pick up on students fixed mindset, but have we asked ourselves WHERE that fixed mindset comes from and if we’re contributing? 

Now, I know this is not an easy thing to hear or reflect on. I live in a CONSTANT state of re-thinking the things I’ve said. As a verbal processor with very little fileter it’s just part of my life to say things, regret it, apologize, and try TRY to think about what I say before I say it.

As a teacher we are tired, frustrated embarrassed, and It is okay. But what we also know is it is not okay to give up on kids. We’re literally all they’ve got in the classroom. It is our job to not just tack on the “yet” but to take action and keep the expectations high. What I am not saying here is make life easier and happier so that you don’t feel frustrated and embarrassed. What I’m saying is, have a growth mindset about the challenges our students face and we face as a class. 

I know this is hard to talk about and sometimes it feels embarrassing to admit you’ve been in that space and said things that might communicate low expectations or a fixed mindset. Listen, I too have said those things. I have been a teacher for 15 years in Chicago. My teaching career was not easy. I taught students that were years below grade level, dealing with real trauma, and in a neighborhood that most days wasn’t safe enough for outdoor recess. I VERY easily could have slipped (and did on MANY occasions) into the, “BUT THeSE KIDS” mindset. Blaming outside factors, parents, families, neighborhoods, students’ attention span, their choices… yep. I’ve been there.

But every single time I chose to do something different and shift the narrative to “My students will do this kind of thinking soon.” or “My students need more support to focus on their work.” or better yet, “I am going to support the turn and talks more so they are productive.” You can do that too. 

Choosing to hold students to high expectations with high support actually walks the walk of growth mindset. Simply tacking on a “yet” to a statement that communicates low expectations, teacher frustration, and desperation doesn’t help. No matter what is on the bulletin board or what SEL lesson you do in morning meeting. 

So, while using the phrase “yet” is a great way to prompt us to shift from a fixed mindset statement to leaving room for growth, its’ not a magic wand. 

Instead of tacking on Yet let’s do this instead: 

  1. Regulate ourselves. As adults it’s hard to remember that self regulation has to be first. Put on your air mask before you help others. 
  2. Consider the expectations our words and actions are communicating to students. Take one second to check in with yourself before you say something and notice if what you’re about to say is masking a bigger feeling of embarrassment or frustration. 
  3. Say what you want to happen and what you’ll do to get there. Yet is great at shifting mindset in a single phrase, but Growth Mindset is about action– effort, hard work, and perseverance. So, if your students can’t do something yet, what will you do? I know you put in hard work and effort everyday. I know giving up isn’t an option. 

Let’s go back to that teacher that visited my classroom and replay it. She and I talk about all that she noticed. She asks me questions about what was happening and how I got the students there. Remember, this wasn’t day one this was March after a LOT of work and years of experience. I explain to her step by step how we got there. Then she says, “I really want this for my students. I’m going to try it on Monday. Would it be okay if I reached out when I get stuck?” 

HECK yes!

Now, let’s see how that might work for a student. “I can’t divide with partial quotients it doesn’t make any sense.” You chime in “yet”. Kid rolls their eyes, “Yeah yet.” Still frustrated and annoyed and still doing no work.

Instead you say, “I hear you’re frustrated. Believe me I’ve felt that way when something is confusing and doesn’t make sense. Can we go back to a strategy you do know how to use for division. Then, we can talk about how it relates to partial quotients? I’ve been watching you closely this year and you know how to do a lot of things. We’re gonna get there. I’m here to support you. Thanks for staying calm while we work through this.” 

Yet doesn’t solve the problem. Yet doesn’t make the frustration go away.

Kind, Consistent action in a community that cares helps solve the problem. 

📲 Let’s Stay Connected:

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