Willing to Fail

As a member of my school's leadership team, I was recently involved with the training and orientation of new staff. Since my areas of responsibility revolve around technology, I found it important to discuss not only technology (hardware, platforms, supports available etc.), but also attitudes toward technology. Both are important when it comes to ensuring effective technology use and integration in schools.  

It is exciting when new staff join my school as these individuals bring with them invaluable knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to an already strong staff. Yet it is important that these individuals are on the same page as other staff when it comes to school mission, vision & culture.

Regarding technology, I share one simple message with teachers: “You must be willing to fail”. A recent article on the business site Entrepreneur points out that fear of failure leads to inaction. Here is a great quote from this article:

All too many of us grew up learning that mistakes are bad. We walk through life on eggshells, trying desperately not to take a wrong step. When we live this way, we can’t learn from our mistakes and grow into new possibilities. Retrain your brain to know that mistakes happen, and it’s okay that they do. The most important thing is what you learn from a mistake about how to do better next time. The mark of a successful person is not based on how few mistakes they make, but on how quickly they get back up, learn from mistakes and move forward.  

I’m happy to report that my message is being heard. More and more teachers are telling me that they want to play around with a new app/tool/device first before seeking help from others. As for myself, I continue to fail forward on a regular basis; it’s just become part of my regular learning process.