I think throughout this entire year, not just solely in this class, we have learned what failure and success means. The entire world is currently going through many tests, trials and tribulations, but I think what is so amazing is that we continue to adapt to change and overcome it, learning from our past mistakes. This very lesson has not quite changed my view on failure and success, but enhanced it. Before the lesson, I developed the same reasoning and themes of working to get better at something, (just like the video did) and understanding that failure can be amazing and beneficial to becoming better at something. I absolutely loved how the teachers in Austin’s Butterfly explained that criticism can be good if we use it the right way. Using phrases such as “not yet” and “keep going” not only encourages the student, but makes them excited and more positive throughout the working process. Teachers and adults in a child's life can help create a growth mindset by emphasising that failure is not bad! We need to stop stigmatizing failure because it limits students from taking risks and opening their creative minds. Parents and teachers today are mostly worried about time, due dates, grades, however, we need to switch that mindset. For example, it shouldn’t matter if the student turns in a well written piece a minute late, because oftentimes when things are late, teachers pretend the work never existed! We need to emphasise the actual work and material, not be so focused on punishments and consequences; school is not jail.
To me, a growth mindset is one that is able to grow and not only adapt to change, but accept change in a positive way, looking for what is in the future instead of being stuck on the limits of the past. It is extremely important because it can shape one’s outlook on life, for the rest of their life. Kids who have been limited by teachers/parents due to grades, learning, other factors, they often never advance in life; they pretty much just stay where they are. However, those who were challenged to have a growth mindset in an environment in which it was encouraged, are more likely to take risks, even if it does not always work. AND, the most important part, when something does not work for them, they know how to handle it and grow from it, where those who did not grow, don’t.
Words of advice I would offer to anyone who feels like a failure would be; everyone has been considered a “failure” (whatever that means) at some point in their life; no one is perfect. First of all, failures have been deemed a curse word among students; it’s the worst possible word students feel they could ever hear. Yet, failure does not have to be this negative. Once you fail, there are no barriers around you, no expectations, no limits. I’d like to think the place of failure is quite serene once we accept it. Sure it can be stressful at the start, but once we realise we have not successfully completed something, we have time to think and let our minds grow. That failure gives us a break, allowing us to work hard and discover things about ourselves we would normally ignore. That wind-up of work pays off for the final catapult of success that pushes us further than before. I remember I had an awful math test freshman year; my teacher said I failed. And, as you can imagine, this got to me. However, it also pushed me to work harder, and I ended up earning more than I would have if I did my prior study/homework routine. The bottom line? Don’t be the one who gets put down by “failure,” be the one that gets lifted up.