My Philosophy

If you have never experienced failure, then you have also never truly experienced growth. For example, a student who was very successful in school and earned high grades could have avoided growth by carefully selecting coursework that was “safe” and sticking with their strengths. This student may be rewarded academically with honors and scholarships for college. This cycle could continue in higher education depending upon their choice of major.
However, this student would be ill-prepared for the world of work. In the workplace, the focus is not about how smart they “look”, but whether the job gets done. Bosses may be unreasonable in the demands of the job and the training may be nonexistent. On-the-job learning happens through trial and error. Any young professional remembers all of the lessons that they learned through errors on their first job. These valuable errors will be later referred to as experience.
In my classroom fear of failure is not an option. By de-emphasizing grades and refocusing attention on growth, you can focus on how much you learned since the beginning of the year rather on a single mark along with way. This involves pre-assessments, compacting, and enrichment. Not all students will always be working on the exact same assignment at the exact same time. This differentiation allows for you to grow personally. By focusing on a growth mindset, you will be more motivated because you will begin to connect hard work with success. This intrinsic motivation will prove valuable for you in the future.