In 2015-2016, Dr. Ihrig served as a middle school math intervention teacher in an upper-middle class school in Connecticut.

During her time at the school, she named the resource room the "Innovative Math Lab." Students could freely come and go, and students were required to write their goal or focus for each time they visited.

Additionally, Dr. Ihrig partnered with math teachers for students to set explicit targets for growth as measured through utilizing Moby Max (pages 76-79 in Creating Growth Focused Classrooms).

Dr. Ihrig also created themed programs, such as February=Fractions for students to challenge themselves and improve on specific skills.

Dr. Ihrig started explicitly teaching students about growth mindset while working at a high school in Connecticut.

In one of her classes, over 40% of students were taking math for the first time in English. The theme of the classes was: "Nosotros Crecemos. We Grow."

Students embraced growth mindset and implemented the themes in their own lives. This is when Dr. Ihrig realized that students needed to learn how possessing a growth mindset can benefit young people in and out of the classroom.

Dr. Ihrig continued teaching students about growth mindset during her years at a Title I school in Georgia.

She started working at the school at the end of Semester 1. During Semester 2, she consistently encouraged teens to set goals and write steps to achieve their goals.

To prepare for the state test, Dr. Ihrig hosted large review sessions in the high school cafeteria which were open to all learners. Sessions often exceeded over 100 students.

It was after this year that Dr. Ihrig realized a comprehensive program to help students recognize the greatness inside of them was critical for consistent success.

During Summer 2018, Dr. Ihrig began developing the program.

Dr. Ihrig's students during the 2018-2019 school year were the first group of students to experience the program. At first, it was only intended for her learners; however her students encouraged her to turn the concepts into a book. As she developed chapters, she provided the chapters to her students to read, implement in their lives, and offer suggestions for improvement. Most of her students embraced using a growth mindset wholeheartedly.

In 2019, Dr. Ihrig published her first book on the topic. The first cover included pictures of teens doing their best. The tagline, "Chase Your Dreams," was recommended by one of Dr. Ihrig's students. The content was very similar to the current books; however there were few reflection questions or action steps. Also...there were no images or places to doodle.

A few of Dr. Ihrig's colleagues tested several of the chapters (namely those on academics, poisonous drama, and technology) with their students. Dr. Ihrig also used the concepts in Chapter 3 while working with teens who voluntarily enrolled in her free SAT prep course. See their data here.

After insight from some of her students about formatting for the inside, Dr. Ihrig published the copy with a brain on the cover to match the character which appears occasionally throughout the book. Let's just say only the polite students liked that cover.

Eventually, Dr. Ihrig hired a few designers who created the subsequent covers. Dr. Ihrig also hired several translators to translate the books into Spanish.

In January 2021, Dr. Ihrig realized it was time for a name change and additional books to reach multiple age groups. The original Kids edition was too difficult for the target age group and became the Tween edition. Dr. Ihrig then wrote a new kids edition.

Considering her niece and nephew who were PreK and 1st graders at the time, Dr. Ihrig knew she wanted to add a preschooler and young kid option which included the pictures to color as well as sentences which could be stand alone and teach the same concepts. Her background with working with students with autism and other learning needs led to the creation of the Someone Special/Exceptional Learner edition.

Throughout the writing process, Dr. Ihrig was adamant that the chapters all align... for example, Chapter 3 is about school and academics and Chapter 7 is about grown-ups in all editions. This would allow a school district, group, or family to implement the program across ages, and all children would receive the same content, at the same time, in a way best for them.

In Summer 2021, Dr. Ihrig wanted to support students and schools with the social and emotional aspect of the transition from a virtual/hybrid environment to traditional instruction.

Although not written to be a social emotional learning program, there are aspects of Live Growth Focused that support the tenets of SEL.

In July 2021, the original books were rebranded and a CASEL Crosswalk was created to show alignment between Live Growth Focused and SEL for those districts that were looking for a program with a (loose) connection to social-emotional learning.

When presenting the program to a team of stakeholders, one person asked if the Teen version would be appropriate for 17-year-olds. As a result, Dr. Ihrig wrote the Young Adult edition which focuses on the transition from high school to young adult life.

A parent asked which book would be appropriate for adults. As a result, Dr. Ihrig wrote the Grown-Up version. The Grown-Up version is for parents, educators, mentors, coaches, families, and more... any one who interacts with a young person.

After some wisdom from a colleague, Dr. Ihrig decided to return to the original goal: helping young people to excel in life with a growth mindset.

First, the How to Growth Mindset books returned to the original title: Live Growth Focused.

Next, the font in all the Live Growth Focused books was changed to Verdana, an easy-to-read font for students learning English and those with learning disabilities.

Finally, the PreK, Preschooler, and Young Kid books were combined to become the Beginning Reader edition. Further, some images were changed in the Exceptional Learner book to include those students in wheelchairs.

For several years, some of Dr. Ihrig's colleagues asked for specifics about how to create growth-focused classrooms. They wanted something different than how to help students develop a growth mindset in their lives... instead, they asked for what actions can an educator take to help students to develop a growth mindset in the classroom.

Creating Growth Focused Classrooms: Reflections and Strategies from a Teacher covers a collection of topics to help K-12 educators and administrators create a culture of growth. Topics include mindset, testing, grading, logistics, rigor, communication, activities, and connections. Actual examples and reflections from students are included.