Why we shouldn’t fear failure

March 10, 2014 by seizethechalk 1 Comment

Surfing the blogosphere this past weekend, I came across a handful of posts from teachers that talk about failure.  I get it – I’m afraid, too.  With standardized tests looming straight ahead, we’re in the most stressful months of the year.  We’re running at full tilt, with no margin for error, doing whatever we can to make the last bits of difference.  Yet, will worrying about failure get us anywhere?  And really, is failure something to be feared?

Each week, I give my students a guiding quote, with daily optional challenges usually related to that quote.  One week, I quoted Michael Jordan, who said,

I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

My students and I talked about this, and then looked at some famous failures (just Google it and click on image search).  What I wanted my students to realize is that failing is not something to be feared, as long as we keep trying.  (And frankly, when you hear about the failures of Thomas Edison, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Jobs, and so many others, you begin to think that you should be failing a lot more!)

As a teacher, I have my share of successes and failures.  Throughout each day, I am constantly adjusting my lessons, my seating, my management, you name it, to best support learning.  A number of these adjustments were brought on by a previous failure on my part to control for something, but I can’t let that get to me…there is too much important work to do, and too much good I still can do.

I’m going to leave you with a quote from John Wooden.  I’m not sure why quotes from basketball legends have taken over this post, but the quote speaks for itself, to basketball players, to us teachers, and to our students:

If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.

So, what do you say?  Want to join me in failing a little this week?