To Fail or not to Fail

Fail. It's a four letter word isn't it. I hear teachers say all the time "failure is not an option," or "I didn't fail you, you failed yourself." But, what if failure was an option? What if we encouraged teachers and students to step outside the box and outside their comfort zone and encourage them to try something new? What if Fail really meant First Attempt In Learning? Think back. How many children walked the first time they stood? How many people drove perfect the first time behind the wheel? So why do we not allow students and teachers to try something new and possibly fail? Let's try this. Let's change our schools and classrooms to learner centered. The learner may be the student OR it may be the teacher. You do something or teach something that doesn't work? So what! Make some changes and try again. The definition of grit is basically a trait based on an individual's passion or ability to hang with a long term goal. How do we teach grit if they don't learn how to triumph over failure? So let's teach grit by teaching students that failure is part of learning. Mistakes are proof of trying, and to just remember that stars don't shine without darkness. Help them shine!