Frontier

As I'm coming to the end of my student teaching experience, part of me is really nervous about teaching full-time. Who's to say that I am qualified to teach the youth of America? I certainly don't have all the answers! And yet, it's ok to not have all the answers. I think part of the reason I like this quote from Neil deGrasse Tyson so much is because as applicable as it is to science, it's even more applicable to teaching.
So much of the time, we (myself included) like to pretend that we know everything, that we are the foremost expert. Oftentimes in teaching, admitting that we don't know something is the difference between success and failure in the classroom. Are you successful? If so, I'm willing to bet that you ask lots of questions and never really settle for what you already know. Don't be ignorant, don't look for failure. Ask questions, look for success. Don't be afraid to admit that you don't know it all.

Failure

I think that Alfred Pennyworth is the most underrated character in the Dark Knight Trilogy. Today's Thought is just one of his many words of wisdom that he shares throughout the movies. Hearing this quote I always think back to the many times that I have failed. As a youth I took piano lessons for a number of years. There was always a big state competition that I took part in, always with the goal to make it to the state competition. Time after time, I prepared for weeks. And time after time, I failed to reach my ultimate goal of getting to state. Yet, I kept trying, I kept learning to pick myself up and try again. Finally, in my last year of eligibility, I made it to state. Quite a turnaround I'd say.

One of my least favorite interview questions has to be, "If you knew you could not fail, what would you do?" My life is all about learning. I firmly believe that failure is the best way that we can learn. Without failure, how can we have learning?
Perhaps you came out of a failure with not quite the best attitude. Have faith, your failure is only setting you up for future success. Just like my piano competitions, failure is teaching us to pick ourselves up and try again. Don't be afraid of failure. Embrace it and learn from your failures. Learn to pick yourself up.

Try

Today's Thought comes from the great mind of Theodore Roosevelt. As you look at the title and the quote, you may be wondering if I'm contradicting one of my earlier posts. I may be, but hear me out. There indeed is some wisdom left in 'ole Teddy.

Failure is hard. There's no doubt about that. It's hard do to your best and be told, "not good enough." Miraculously, somehow, we are able to learn from our failures. But what is there to learn from not even trying? You may fail, but you can only succeed if you try.
This weekend I had an interesting experience. I was at church sitting in my normal spot with the same folks sitting around me. As I was walking out at the end, I was approached by a young gentleman, about my age. He said he noticed I had been there a few weeks and that I should join him in a youth group meeting after church. I turned him down, rationalizing that I only have two weeks left in the city and so why get too involved now? However, I had to ask myself, what did I miss out on?
You see, I failed to even try. I may have found success, even though I didn't know exactly what success was, in that meeting. Instead, I went about my day. You see, like me, you have an opportunity to try. You never know when opportunity will knock, don't be afraid to open the door. Will you fail? Will you succeed? Those aren't important questions. The important question is this: Will you try?