Why I will always give chances

“Giving up is the only sure way to fail.” – Gena Showalter

There has been a lot of conversation over the years in the change in education where kids seem to “not be aloud to fail”. I disagree with the idea they are not aloud to but if they end up not being successful it is not going to be because I have limited their opportunities to try and get it right.

We had a Science test last week and today kids found out how they did. I had set bench marks for when I would give an opportunity to take an addition assessment to help their mark. Some were excited about their mark others were crushed. I reminded those who would be doing a follow up that this was to help them, that we would work together and look at what they really needed to know and how I could help them get there.

I feel my job is to keep trying DIFFERENT things if at first I don’t succeed. The idea that an assessment is THE END is such an opposing idea to learning.

Can you imagine a baby trying to walk? Oh I didn’t make it guess I better just crawl forever!

Heck, failed a drivers test…No car for you ever.

I hope my students learn to study, apply our lessons to their work and all the other things teachers hope for. But more than that I hope they learn that they get to keep trying until they get it right. Learning should not be a one and done. Learning is a journey, sometimes we make a wrong turns. My hope and goal is to teach them that a few steps the wrong way doesn’t mean we are lost we just have to take a few steps back to find our way.