First Failure

We are a lot of things to a lot of people. For example, in my life I am or have been a husband, a brother, a son, a father, a friend, a student, a teacher, a customer, a service provider, an employee, and an employer. We play a lot of roles, a lot of parts in this grand script we call life, and each role gives us the opportunity to be better, to do more, to provide for someone, to succeed, or to fail.


Our society has a tendency to expect failure and demand success. We have gotten to the point where we actually are often afraid that someone else will fail to the point that we redefine the meaning of success to prevent it from happening. I mentioned that I am a teacher. I value education, the process of learning, and I understand the fundamental reasons behind the concept of “No Child Left Behind” and from the perspective of ensuring that education is available to everyone regardless of social status, background, etc. - it’s a great concept. Unfortunately, this concept, and other societal norms have promoted a sense of entitlement in our youth and a feeling that failure is not an option, not because there is a greater effort to succeed, but rather that it is everyone else’s responsibility to ensure that they don’t fail.

As a result our education systems are producing larger numbers of illiterate, under-educated youth who are not prepared to survive in a workplace environment or in a life where step-by-step instructions aren’t provided. We are producing children who not only can’t think for themselves, but don’t see why they should. Someone else will give them the answer. As students are prepared for end of grade tests, fed through the system regardless of comprehension and retention of the material associated with the formative years learning objectives, they are taught more and more that they are all winners, there are no losers, and it is wrong for anyone to consider them unable or incapable.

These same youth are the employees of today and tomorrow. They are the ones who are now unable to be fired because “they’re doing the best that they can” or “they just need more guidance or assistance” and can do it once you show them how (or do it for them) a few hundred times.

It is time for us to be willing to fail and to be willing to fail our children and students. It is through failure that we learn to do better. It is through failure that we find progress. It is through failure that we can observe excellence and set goals for improvement. We have got to stop telling ourselves that we are better and superior and start working to be better and superior.

Over time, I hope to use this blog to share my observations of (and sometimes frustrations with) successes and failures in our society, my life, and the lives of those who I connect with daily. Through awareness of those failures and willingness to accept such failure as not only a healthy part of life, but a positive learning experience that can only make us better. I welcome you to share your thoughts, comments, and personal stories of failure and success with me. Together we can learn to be better.