Learning from Failure

Commodores,

I hope your first few weeks of school have gone well and that you are settling in to your new routine.  This week, I want to share a story I think we can all learn from and apply to our lives in and out of school.  With my background as a history teacher, I love a good story from our past.  I especially like stories about ordinary people that do extraordinary things.  These stories help us realize that all of us can do something incredible with enough hard work and determination.  I've been reading a book called, Heroes for My Son, by Brad Meltzer, that has a bunch of these stories. I'll be sharing more of them as the year goes on.

This story is about the Wright Brothers, inventors of the world's first flying machine. They were ordinary people, bicycle salesmen from North Carolina.  Their father gave them a flying toy as children and a dream was born.  Here is an excerpt from the book:

"Every day, they knew they'd fail.  Every time they'd go out to fly-every time-they brought extra materials because they knew their fledgling design would crash. Crash and rebuild. Crash and rebuild.  But never ever, ever give up."  

The Wright bothers were passionate, hard working, had a dream and knew that failure was just a part of the learning process.  Ordinary people who did something extraordinary. I believe there is positive and negative failure.  Negative failure happens when bombing a test, striking out with runners on base, or missing the big shot are the end of the story.  Positive failure happens when those things are just part of the story, just part of learning.  It happens when we bomb that test, then ask a teacher for help, spend extra time studying and ace the next one.  It happens when we strike out or miss a big shot, go to practice the next day and work even harder, spend extra time at the gym or field and then come through, in the clutch, the next time.  Like the Wright brothers, our stories will probably include some failures but if we realize that it's just part of the learning process, our story will end in success.  

Here's a quick update on the Commodore Pride grade level standings:
Seniors- 356 pts.
Juniors- 262 pts.
Sophomores- 318 pts.
Freshmen- 258 pts.
8th Grade- 365 pts.
7th Grade- 367 pts.
Congratulations to the 8th Grade for recording the fewest tardies to date!  Keep up the good work!

Remember grade-levels that reach 1,000 points will receive a reward, as will the grade-level who earns the most points.

Show Your Commodore Pride,

Mr. Zellers

Reference:

Meltzer, B. (2010). Heroes for My Son. New York: Harper Collins.