THE ART OF FAILING WELL (March Blog)

"Ever tried. Ever failed.  No matter.  Try again.  Fail again.  Fail better." ~Samuel Beckett, Westward Ho.

Scientists know all too well that the concept of "failure" is a natural part of experimentation.  If you want to learn how a process works, or develop a new one yourself, the scientific method demands that you try, fail, and try again...and maybe even again.  The arts, whether visual or performing, also involve quite a bit of experimentation.  In a 2013 interview, filmmaker George Lucas observed, "If you're creating things, you're doing things that have a high potential for failure, especially if you're doing things that have not been done before.  And you learn from those things...Failure is another word for experience."  

Both experience and experimentation have positive connotations; we think of them as growth words--they are expansive and character building.  So if failure is a part of both, why does it have such a negative connotation?  Why is it so crippling to so many people?

When we approach a task at school or at work, we tend to see two possible outcomes:  success or failure.  The implications of that are that there are then two types of people:  winners, and losers.  That's not a lot of motivation to take risks and try something new!  But as scientists learn in the laboratory, our failures will only hold us back if we don't engage with them mindfully!

Failing well or "artful failing" means to acknowledge that failure happens to all of us - the best of us - and building the skills needed to learn and grow stronger and wiser can only happen when we take risks, feel uncomfortable, experience some anxiety, and give ourselves the grace to learn from our mistakes and move forward.  In the DP classroom, I know that for many students, self-worth and sense of identity become contingent on academic success, and the normal setbacks that accompany a higher, challenging level of coursework can be a great source of distress.  In our busy, pressure-filled, chaotic lives, it is easy to lose sight of the natural and highly valuable learning that accompanies not doing every task or assignment perfectly every time.  Instead, we need to stop seeking perfection in everything and focus on developing capacities for persistence, creativity, grit, cognitive flexibility, delaying gratification, and overcoming adversity.  This requires trial and error, and overcoming fears of failing in the process.

So...what does a fear of failure look like?  How does it manifest itself?  We need to see the enemy if we are to combat it, after all!  Here are some typical symptoms of this fear that can cripple our development:

1. Debilitating procrastination: If I am not sure my work will be perfect, then I am desperate to avoid making mistakes.  Therefore, I avoid the task all together, which can lead to us jeopardizing opportunities. 

2. Fixating on Catastrophe: Yes, bad outcomes are always possible.  It can be easy to let that distract us!  By focusing only on all the negative outcomes, we zap creative energy and create roadblocks to positive outcomes beyond our imagination!

3. Severe Self-Criticism: If failure is "inexcusable" or unacceptable, there's no room for error in the process of learning.  Mistakes and failures lead to shame and keep us stuck.

4. Withholding Our Work and Ideas from Others: If we have rigid views of success and failure, we only want people to see us at our best.  That can lead us to keeping quiet for fear of disappointing or (even worse!) for fear of ridicule.

5. Believing I must Succeed Right Away at Anything I Try:  Otherwise known as perfectionism.  Success in everything right away is simply unreasonable and unrealistic, not to mention, a bit arrogant.  We need to let that go and let ourselves be human.  Humans grow and develop and learn; failure, which is a part of the human experience, is one of the most excellent of teachers.

6. Being Crushed by Setbacks: We all get disappointed when things don't work out the way we planned.  We get angry, sad, and confused.  But so many of the most inspiring success stories are those that came out of lots of trying and failing, and trying again!  We need to allow ourselves to feel sad about a setback for awhile, and then get up and try again! 

Are any of the symptoms above are relatable?  How can you combat them and challenge yourself to change your mindset?  Start by asking yourself these questions: 

1. Who defines what constitutes success and failure in my life?

2. What makes me feel fulfilled and what do I define as a success?  

3.  What am I working for?  What am I working toward?

4. Where do my beliefs about success and failure come from? (TOK!)

5. What does it mean to be responsible for, to learn from, or just to suffer, both my successes and my failures?

6. What factors and feelings play a role in success and failure?  What about ambition? Luck? Joy? Obligation? Integrity? Competition? Talent? Collaboration?

7. What does is mean to be an excellent, successful, student and human being?

When contemplating the art of failing, Professor Moffat from the University of Warwick's Department of Life Sciences puts it this way:  "You need space for creativity...and the space and freedom to fail.  In the quest for discovery, failing is just as important as getting it right.  Finding out what doesn't work is part of finding out what does."

Give yourself the space to get it right.  

Give yourself the space and grace to fail.

If you are going to do anything, you might as well do it well.  Fail well.  Fail with enthusiasm.  Then get up, a little wiser, and try again.  That's not just the art of failing well.  That's the art of being the best kind of human.

After reading the blog, write a short reflection about what failing means to you.  Do you fear it?  Do you exhibit any of the symptoms of Failure Fear?  Then, watch this TedTalk by Sasha Shillcutt called "Failing Forward."  What is your number one take away?

HOW TO PLAY THE WRITING GAME...AND WIN! (February Blog)

 Your teacher has just assigned you the one thing you dread, but know you will face several times during the school year in several of your classes.  Yes, that's right, kids, it's time to write

THE ESSAY!  

You let out a deep sigh as you feel the heavy weight of dread in your gut, and your entire attitude fades to black.  It's as if someone has pulled a dark veil over your formerly sunny outlook.

Okay, maybe that's a BIT dramatic.  But for many of us, writing the essay is a task that takes more gumption just to begin than to actually complete.

Year one scholars, as I write this blog, we have just been assigned the unit summative: The Taming of the Shrew HL essay.  If that isn't punishment enough, we also must get approval on our essay outline plan from Mrs. Caraway (yours truly!) a document that helps clarify for ourselves and our reader just what it is we are doing, and how this great idea meets the course criteria (thus providing a possible highlight of where we have fallen short!)

Year two scholars, as I write this blog, you are preparing for the Purple Hibiscus unit summative, which is your choice of the Creative Task, or the HL essay.  This gives you some fun choices to explore, but brings with it the pressure that having wide open creative freedom can bring. 

At the close of our two years together, looming in deadly proximity, we have the IB exams, both of which are essays (Paper 1 is actually TWO essays, while Paper 2 is comparative, and involves memorizing quotes) that bring with them the added element of the time limit.   

Now, now, now; writing an essay, comparative or otherwise, doesn't have to be such a downer!  In fact, it can become something you look forward to!  (Okay, maybe that's taking it a bit too far).  At the very least, it can be a challenge you are ready and able to meet.

Like anything else worth doing, writing takes what I like to refer to as the three P's:  perseverance, passion and patience.  You need to eliminate the idea of "TRY my best" and substitute that notion with "DO my best."  Do not even entertain the notion of "this will be hard" or "I cannot do this well," or "my teacher will hate this."  Do not put it off until the last minute or it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom.

Instead, set aside a quiet space, do some relaxation breathing (think yoga, pilates, or dance) and ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS.  Silence your phone.  In fact, just move your phone to a completely different room or floor of your home, if applicable.  Do not allow yourself to text friends or scroll through Instagram.  It's just you, some paper (or a screen) and words.  Take some time to go through your notes and quotes, and begin the process of writing.  Don't put the pressure of editing or grammar on yourself at this stage.  Writing is a process.  Allow your subconscious creativity to flow first, uninhibited.  You can fix it all later.  Be patient with yourself and your thoughts.  Wait for the right words or search them out until you find the one you truly feel is best. Use a thesaurus for inspiration.  DON'T SURRENDER.

You get to design your exploration in the HL, so you might as well write about something that interests YOU.  Don't think about me (aka your teacher), or anyone else.  Glance over the marking scheme.  Then, take time to craft your topic, and organize your evidence in such a way that shows off your writing style.

Describing is necessary to set things in motion, but don't stay there!  Spend most of your time in analysis. Depth is the key: what is being written/explored, how is the writer exploring it, why those choices, and to what impact?  Again, revision and editing will come in the final stages.  The first stage of the writing process is....wait for it... PLANNING!  When you do begin to put your ideas and plans to paper and write, find something fun in it...something that stirs your creative passion.

Writing the essay or anything, for that matter, may never be your favorite thing to do, but at the very least it doesn't have to be a punishment.  Take some time to read these articles below about "Writing" and specifically "Writing the Essay."  The tips are awesome, I think.  Drink them in, and come ready to attack ALL your writing challenges....

                                                    AND WIN.

Here are the links to writing tips for the essay, and just writing in general.  Read through them--some of the tips in them may be repeated, but reworded in a different way.  Sometimes, hearing the same thing multiple times and in different ways is key in helping to cement your understanding!  Then, in your post, tell me the tips you found the most helpful or enlightening!


1.  https://www.chegg.com/play/student-life/10-tips-for-writing-the-perfect-paper/

2.  http://thewritepractice.com/writing-an-essay/

3.  https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-10-steps-toward-better-writing.html