Recently I listened to a conversation on the radio about what you wished they had taught you in school. One of the things they focused on was the topic of failure. Failure. Think about it. That really isn't a topic that is on the top of our list as teachers.
In this day and age success is what seems to be the driving force. Success on tests is widely pushed with school districts. Many teachers are evaluated each year based on their student's success level. Success is great, but the drive to create success can often lead to stress, anxiety, and other problems for students and teachers alike.
I came across this picture the other day and it was a perfect reminder for this time of year as we head into the spring testing season which is heavily driven by the goal to have success.
Having taught fourth grade for many years and then moved down to third grade this year, I have seen the push for success tremendously as our state requires students to pass a 3rd Grade Reading Guarantee test in order to move on to fourth grade. Seeing all the test prep and rigorous effort to ensure students pass has not only become exhausting for me but also for students.
Hearing this conversation on the radio and seeing this picture has reminded me that yes, a teacher is more than a test score and so is a student. It has challenged me to step back, look at my teaching, and think what are some ways that I can encourage success but also teach students about failure. Of course I want each of my students to be successful and pass the tests and do well. But what happens when there's a student who struggles or doesn't pass the test. What do we do to help that student pick themselves up and get back on the path that will help them reach success?
Failure is natural. It may not come on a test while you're in school, but everyone at some point in their life faces failure.Whether as a teacher or a parent, we must teach our kids that failure is not necessarily the opposite of success, it is simply part of the path to success.
I love this quote by Henry Ford:
"Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently."
Think of how many times he must have failed with the automobile before he successfully got to his first successful one.
Obviously, we want out students to be successful, that is always our goal as teachers. But maybe we could take a little more time to build on how to overcome our failures/ mistakes, think of the possibilities of success that could come from those lessons learned.
Many great people in history faced failure but later went on to great success:
1. Thomas Edison - He is know for having said,
2. Abraham Lincoln - He hardly had any formal education, yet he didn't give up. He taught himself, became a lawyer, then congressman, and then a president that changed a nation.
3. Albert Einstein - His teachers thought he was not very bright but look at the genius he turned out to be.
How about a couple more modern favorites for your students:
4. George Lucas- One of the greatest movies of all time STAR WARS almost didn't make it to the big screen because it was rejected by 3 major film studios.
5. Michael Jordan - One of the greatest basketball stars of all time, was cut from his high school varsity team. He didn't let that stop him.
The list could go on and on about amazing people who failed at first but didn't give up. They learned from their failures by looking for another way to make things work. They didn't give up when struggles or obstacles came.
With the push to have a growth mindset being big in the classroom right now let's be challenged as teachers to help our students not see failure as an end but as a part of their path to success in the future.
