Failure isn't a 4 letter word. It isn't something that should be feared. Failure is often the best avenue to success. Sounds oxymoronic, doesn't it? Failing... I don't even like how the word sounds. Now, when I am talking about failure, I am not talking about kids who don't study for a test and fail the test. That isn't failure, it is just plain lazy and disrespectful of the teacher's time. I am talking about learners who take educational risks and miss the mark. I believe in this country failure is something that is viewed as a bad thing. It, in fact, can be a very beneficial experience. >>click here<< But are we progressive enough to allow our kids to bring home a failing grade on a test or worse yet... a report card? I would like to think that I would be okay with this. I would like to believe that I would embrace the "failure is often the best avenue to success" mentality. I don't really know at this point. I do know that I would like to know what the teachers are willing to do when the kids in the class work hard but miss the mark.
One of the things I have learned with my two kids is that failure looks very different for them. For Charlotte it can be a 99% on a test because she failed perfection by one point. For James, well... his biggest "failure" this year has been on the Accelerated Reading tests he does on the computer. The scores come straight to my email and I know in an instant if it is a book he has read or one he just likes the title of. You decide which is which!
One of the best teaching techniques I have ever seen used for kids who miss the mark, but are trying, was actually this year. Charlotte is taking IB Physics, and it is tough!! On one exceptionally difficult test where practically the whole class failed, her teacher decided that the kids could correct the problems that were wrong and receive 1/2 credit. BAM from failure --> to 85% --> to success, and we will take that!! I want this written into James's IEP for next year when they start getting letter grades. Anything that he gets lower than a C on, I want him to have the opportunity to correct and be retested on, or just pass the corrections in and receive partial credit on. He learns very well with positive reinforcement, and he has already told me that he only wants A's and B's next year because they are cool. He is capable of greatness in the classroom, it is just a matter of finding the correct formula. I hope it happens because, if it is on the IEP, then I will not feel like a failure!!
