1000 Fails Before Success
Not just for students but for teachers and their schools
“It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.” - Seneca
Doing something that has never been done before (a world’s first) is difficult.
Duh.
Just ask pro freestyle mountain bike rider Matt Jones. He wanted to do a trick no one had every done before. So, he began practicing. And planning.
And failing.
Early in the video, he says, “This is the first practice session for a world’s first.”
Back in March 2020, educators around the world had their first practice session for a world’s first.
Whether we wanted to do so or not, we were asked to move in-person instruction to remote instruction, a world’s first. And, initially, given little support to do so other than assurances that students and teachers weren’t going to be held responsible for much during those first few months.
And so, we failed. A lot.
Somehow, we found our footing. Somehow, we connected with students and their families. Somehow, we got students connected. Somehow, we made the best of what we were given.
Were we perfect? Absolutely not.
Were we frustrated? Oh my.
Were we successful? If you measure success by not losing our collective minds and surviving the most ridiculous situations placed upon schools in the history of ever (like I do), then yes.
But we failed so many times on the road. We still fail.
Every day, something new comes along and we fail again.
And we’ll keep failing. We’ll keep trying to reinvent education. We’ll keep trying to work with not enough money, not enough time, and not enough support.
But we won’t stop trying. Because we know that our world’s first will lead to so many other world’s firsts.
We’re not talking about the game. We’re talking about practice. And practice is all we ever do because every day is Groundhog Day.
Keep failing. Keep practicing. Someone is waiting on your world’s first.
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