Celebrating This Week: Resiliency in the Face of Failure

Part 1 Celebration:

I have been been reflecting on the growth mindset this week to focus on how positive thoughts can affect change. Each day brought me closer to creating a visual image that expressed my idea. Yesterday, Leadership Day 2014, I started tweeting the image that I created with a free digital photo and PicMonkey. I was rather pleased with the combined photo and quote that I created and decided that I will use this in future professional development workshops designed for teachers and leaders. 

Perhaps this will be your mantra or a Words To Live By poster 

for your classroom? 

One Twitter colleague tweeted me that this will grace her office wall. You can imagine how special I felt that she considered this worthy enough for her learning space. 

I created this image to turn the table on failure. My advice for the week (that I am attempting to live by) is to accept the act of failing as a positive step for future growth. Although I do not have a specific classroom of students, the teachers and leaders that I present to make me acutely aware that we need to help students embrace learning as a messy process where failure is acceptable. We also need to celebrate the act of reflection and make it the go to action for stopping, pausing, and moving forward. 

Part 2 Celebration:

This morning on #satchat there was a very lively conversation about embracing failure. Of course, this topic provided the opportunity to interject my own thoughts, especially the image I created. During the #satchat conversation, I had many sidebar exchanges that were stimulating, insightful, and provided "food for thought."

Below is an example of a conversation I had with 

a Twitter colleague, Joe Sanfellippo. 

Joe Sanfelippo ‏@Joesanfelippofc  50m

Do you know a kid that fails a level in a video game & gives up? I don't either. That environment of safe 4 them. Need 2 extend it #satchat

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Carol Varsalona ‏@cvarsalona  7m

@Joesanfelippofc Being transfixed & perseverant when in front of screen must be transferred over to classrm. We need to find way. #satchat

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Joe Sanfelippo ‏@Joesanfelippofc  17s

@cvarsalona Agreed. I think it has a lot to do w/ ownership of the process. Kids want 2 do better & like the progression in that environment.

Then, the video clip of Rocky Balboa's inspiration speech to his son was sent out to all. 
.

Video Viewing

Failing Safe! SparkyTeaching

Finally, Salome Thomas-El (@Principal _EL) twitted, "Building resilient kids is not teaching them to be successful...It's teaching them how to respond when not successful." Isn't that what it is all about? Celebrate all the events, big or small, and give encouragement when failure is evident. Teach the learner to reflect upon the misses and allow those experience to give rise to a new beginning. The spirit of resiliency will give the learner the opportunity to shake the dust off and try again. 

I am celebrating the connections, reflective moments, and opportunity to write this week. When I encounter my missed step I am going to be reminded that failure with reflective action is a steppingstone to success. 

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This week you can read the blog posts of the writers who Celebrate this week with Ruth Ayres @ ruth ayres writes.

We need to reflect upon the small moments of our week because those are the times that help us grow as learners.