Meet Mundi

BELIEF...PERSEVERANCE...OPPORTUNITY

BELIEF is powerful. When students believe in themselves; they have a better chance of succeeding. This belief starts with us; the educators. We must instill this belief in our students by first believing in them ourselves and then demonstrate this belief with our words, actions, expectations, and most importantly the relationships we build with our students. I live each day remembering something my father used to tell me as a child, "Can't never could," which is exactly right! You never will if you don't believe you can.

PERSEVERANCE is what we inspire. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, perseverance is defined as, "a continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition." We must inspire perseverance by creating opportunities of success for students. I believe the intrinsic desire to persevere begins when students experience success. This means students must know what it feels like to succeed. It is our job as educators to set students up for small successes to motivate them to have the will to persevere.

OPPORTUNITIES are everywhere, including in our individual failures. As educators, it is imperative we teach our students that failure is only a defeat if you accept it. However, when students embrace their failures as learning opportunities; they will give themselves another tool to succeed.

Belief, perseverance, and opportunity is the foundation for teaching students to be confident, independent learners. I believe if students believe in themselves, never give up on themselves, and embrace every opportunity as a learning experience; they will succeed.

I believe all students can learn, however, not all students succeed. Some students experience more failure than success which is why they have no motivation, no perseverance, and no belief in themselves. As an educational leader, I believe in turning this around by creating opportunities of success for all students.

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”

-Bill Gates

The Unexpected Ding

by, Mundi Wortham

Published on LinkedIn

It is in that unexpected moment, when your phone dings and you see a new text message from a number you do not recognize, that you realize everything you say and every action you take as an educator, makes a significant impact on students' lives. I received one of those messages tonight.

Many times, that message comes from a student who was the most challenging, or who you never in a million years would expect to hear from again. When this happens to me, I am transported back to when I taught that student. I relive all the moments spent convincing that student to believe in him or herself, to persevere, and to always embrace failure as an opportunity to learn. Those moments and memories come flooding back, every time I receive that unexpected ding.

As educators, we cannot expect students to conquer the most challenging tasks, if they cannot rely on our belief in them. Students will fail time and time again, but it is our charge to teach them that each failure can actually be a stepping stone to success. It is incumbent upon the education community to make sure those stepping stones don't pave a path to low self-esteem and a students' inability to believe in themselves. Too often, this is our downfall for which they pay the price.

Believe in your students, teach them to never give up, to embrace their failures and watch as they ALL walk across that stage to grab that well deserved high school diploma!This is the message that inspired me to share my thoughts tonight. It comes from a student who will always hold a special place in my heart.

"Yes ! I am graduating in 23 days . We're writing this thing in English about all the people who helped us get to this point and you were the first person to come to mind. I just had to thank you and let you know that you made everything easier for me when I came here and I will never forget that. The way you effected me is something I can't describe and will never thank you enough for you helped me through vulnerability, insecurities and helplessness you made all those things better and I had to tell you that what you do is huge and you're awesome at it !"

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