“I’ve missed more than 9000 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 again in my life. And that is why I succeed. ”
Famous Failures
The first strategy that I used in my classroom is to teach my students about the famous failures in our history. It is sad to say that our culture over-emphasizes on winning that we overlook the importance of failing as the starting point for success. To harness a growth mindset in the classroom, educators need to teach their students about the greatest famous failures. Our history is filled with incredible failures that succeeded against all the odds. People like Martin Luther King, Thomas Edison, Micheal Jordan, and many others had a few things in common. Each one them saw failure as stepping stone to success. They viewed their challenges as a learning opportunity. Their challenges served them as they persisted in the face of the setbacks. Teaching our students about famous failures help them understand that particular traits such dedication and hard work are the key determiners of success. Through famous failures, students will learn that failing is not the same as being a failure. Taking the time to educate our students about the great famous failures in our history can be a source of inspiration and education. In my classroom we use our Morning Meeting time as Inspiration moment time (IM time) during this time we read biographies about great famous failures. We have a discussion about the characters traits that lead them to succeed.
Watch this video to learn more about famous failures.
Example of some of the birography books that we read in my class this school year. The main objective of reading these biography books with my students, was to teach them that it is okay to fail, as long as they keep trying.
