We all make mistakes. I know, no big news here. What is important is that we learn from those mistakes. Yet, if we see mistakes as the end of the line, as failure, then we don't learn. We just give up. Think about this for students. We think nothing of making up a paper as "wrong" with big red Xs but rarely to we celebrate the failures. After all, wouldn't most of us say that the best teacher is experience. I recently read an article about insecurity in math class. The author explained that by celebrating mistakes as teachable moments and recognizing the process over final answer students can develop more confidence in their mathematical ability.
Isn't that true for us all. If we are afraid to take a chance because we might fail, we will never go anywhere. Think about this the next time you struggle with technology that seems so easy to your students. Or you make a simple mistake in front of the class. We all make mistakes. The question is what are you going to do about it?
One of my favorite videos on risk, failure, and life. Enjoy.
-Michelle Bothel
-Michelle Bothel
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