From: The Apple
http://www.theapple.com/benefits/4678-a-teachers-transcript-the-value-of-failure
By Kevin Bibo
Teachers know a lot of stuff. We are generally respected for our knowledge and our ability to share and pass on this information to others. This kind of respect is welcomed by most teachers, so welcome in fact that sometimes we let it go to our heads. There is power in knowledge, and most teachers wield this power with professionalism and maturity. Teachers get to play the role of wise sage day in and day out. People come to us for answers to problems because we can usually help them out. Most students treat us like “fountains of facts” or “wells of wisdom.” It’s cool to know more stuff than most people. It’s fun to play along with the Jeopardy contestants and beat them sometimes (never for me personally). Over time some teachers just grow accustomed to their role and start to forget what it was once like to be uninformed or to fail.
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a four-day course for training teachers in a popular industry level video editing software application. The other participants included the textbook’s author (a fantastic resource and gracious instructor), two software engineers, a documentarian, and five other teachers who currently teach the video editing software in some capacity in their own classrooms to their own students.
We spent four days exploring the text, teaching small units, and sharing our teaching experiences. I had a truly enjoyable time, and I learned a huge amount from the instructor/author and my colleagues. At the end of the four days, we took a test that when passed would certify us as qualified instructors by the software manufacturer. The pass rate was 85%, high by public educational standards, but not by computer certification norms. When the test was completed only the two software engineers passed. The teachers were disappointed, as was the instructor, to say the least.
I must admit it was quite a blow to see the words FAIL on the screen once I had submitted my exam for scoring. When I grade student work, I try to avoid the word because of its negative connotation. But I teach teenagers, and I am an adult, so a simple four letter word should not bother me, right? I think it’s important that teachers be cognizant of the effects of failure. While I believe that failing students is necessary and important to the students’ overall and long-term success in life, I think we need to be sensitive to how we treat failure. A giant red “F” written across an essay might not be the best way to support our students. Our ultimate goal in education is not to break students down, but to build them up
I now have a new obstacle to overcome. Failure of the test I took was not an option. The school district paid for the course and expected me to be certified upon completion. Oops. The good news is that I get a redo; in this case, a second chance to take the test. But I won’t get a third chance, so I must get it right this time. Our students experience the angst of mandatory success in our classrooms every day. But the further teachers get away from being students themselves, the more unfamiliar becomes the need to succeed in this way. Sure, we have the pressure of standards, administrators, and common assessments of the performance of our students, but that is not the same as struggling for personal success.
When was the last time you failed an exam, or a class, or any kind of test in your life? I’ll bet it was a humbling experience. Our humility with our students is our greatest asset as teachers, greater even than our wealth of knowledge. Our modesty and our willingness to be available to our students is our greatest power. Sometimes it helps if we fail in something that is important to us. Failure humanizes us. If we share these experiences with our students, then it gives them the opportunity to see us as people, and not just icons.
Reflect for a moment on how you became this smart. How did you achieve wisdom? For most people failure had something to do with it. But it’s funny how the wise and the smart can often lose touch with their individual paths to success and the many, many failures along the way. Remembering the times we fell short will keep us both humble and wise as we educate our students.
http://www.theapple.com/benefits/4678-a-teachers-transcript-the-value-of-failure
By Kevin Bibo
Teachers know a lot of stuff. We are generally respected for our knowledge and our ability to share and pass on this information to others. This kind of respect is welcomed by most teachers, so welcome in fact that sometimes we let it go to our heads. There is power in knowledge, and most teachers wield this power with professionalism and maturity. Teachers get to play the role of wise sage day in and day out. People come to us for answers to problems because we can usually help them out. Most students treat us like “fountains of facts” or “wells of wisdom.” It’s cool to know more stuff than most people. It’s fun to play along with the Jeopardy contestants and beat them sometimes (never for me personally). Over time some teachers just grow accustomed to their role and start to forget what it was once like to be uninformed or to fail.I recently had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a four-day course for training teachers in a popular industry level video editing software application. The other participants included the textbook’s author (a fantastic resource and gracious instructor), two software engineers, a documentarian, and five other teachers who currently teach the video editing software in some capacity in their own classrooms to their own students.
We spent four days exploring the text, teaching small units, and sharing our teaching experiences. I had a truly enjoyable time, and I learned a huge amount from the instructor/author and my colleagues. At the end of the four days, we took a test that when passed would certify us as qualified instructors by the software manufacturer. The pass rate was 85%, high by public educational standards, but not by computer certification norms. When the test was completed only the two software engineers passed. The teachers were disappointed, as was the instructor, to say the least.
I must admit it was quite a blow to see the words FAIL on the screen once I had submitted my exam for scoring. When I grade student work, I try to avoid the word because of its negative connotation. But I teach teenagers, and I am an adult, so a simple four letter word should not bother me, right? I think it’s important that teachers be cognizant of the effects of failure. While I believe that failing students is necessary and important to the students’ overall and long-term success in life, I think we need to be sensitive to how we treat failure. A giant red “F” written across an essay might not be the best way to support our students. Our ultimate goal in education is not to break students down, but to build them up
I now have a new obstacle to overcome. Failure of the test I took was not an option. The school district paid for the course and expected me to be certified upon completion. Oops. The good news is that I get a redo; in this case, a second chance to take the test. But I won’t get a third chance, so I must get it right this time. Our students experience the angst of mandatory success in our classrooms every day. But the further teachers get away from being students themselves, the more unfamiliar becomes the need to succeed in this way. Sure, we have the pressure of standards, administrators, and common assessments of the performance of our students, but that is not the same as struggling for personal success.
When was the last time you failed an exam, or a class, or any kind of test in your life? I’ll bet it was a humbling experience. Our humility with our students is our greatest asset as teachers, greater even than our wealth of knowledge. Our modesty and our willingness to be available to our students is our greatest power. Sometimes it helps if we fail in something that is important to us. Failure humanizes us. If we share these experiences with our students, then it gives them the opportunity to see us as people, and not just icons.
Reflect for a moment on how you became this smart. How did you achieve wisdom? For most people failure had something to do with it. But it’s funny how the wise and the smart can often lose touch with their individual paths to success and the many, many failures along the way. Remembering the times we fell short will keep us both humble and wise as we educate our students.
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