"I invented magical binoculars that would allow people to see the world more optimistically and be grateful for living in a bright and beautiful world. Wearing these binoculars would also enhance their attitude, resulting in happier and healthier lives and relationships with others." Renaise Kim, Lake Washington High School, WA
My first seven years as a classroom teacher were at a continuation high school. When I started, I knew the students attending the school had and were experiencing many hardships both personally and academically. So, I was fully aware I was about to enter a challenging situation. It was not until a few months into my first year, that I realized the true nature of that challenge. The majority of these students had made the decision to “check out” mentally from school. They would attend school to meet the requirements of their probation, or get out of their homes, or hang out with their friends. A small minority were there with the belief that a high school graduation was still a possibility. This made me very sad and upset. Sad, because I believe adults, at school and home, have not intervened in a timely manner to prevent many of these students getting to this point. Upset, that the system lacks structures in place, so that it wouldn’t allow adults to oversee and/or neglect these situations. The system has taught them that it was almost impossible to overcome failure.
Once I took the time to get to know my students on a personal level, did I understand that the failure they have experienced has become their largest obstacle. I also realized that the perception of failure in the traditional school setting and most of society, teaches society that the amount of failure determines the amount of success. Many of my students strongly believe that there is no hope left. Thomas L. Friedman’s op-ed, piece, “How to Get a Job at Google” provided me with a sense of hope in our society. Friedman quotes Laszlo Bock, the senior vice president of people operations for Google, “Successful bright people rarely experience failure, and so they don’t learn how to learn from that failure” (Friedman). Along the same lines, I don’t believe my students and many, many others with similar situations realize that they can use their failures as learning opportunities and not an indication of their limits.
What would happen if more companies, as influential and powerful as Google, would start focusing on soft skills such as: leadership, humility, collaboration, adaptability and loving to learn and re-learn, as Google does, rather than on GPA and test scores? Could this encourage the educational system to follow suit? Could it create a new perspective on failure and provide hope for our students who struggle with issues that are beyond their control?
Brock sums it up perfectly, “Talent can come in so many different forms and be built in so many nontraditional ways today, hiring officers have to be alive to every one” (Friedman). I hope more educators begin being more “alive to every one.”
Resources
Friedman, T. (2014, February 22). "How to Get a Job at Google" The New York Times.
Once I took the time to get to know my students on a personal level, did I understand that the failure they have experienced has become their largest obstacle. I also realized that the perception of failure in the traditional school setting and most of society, teaches society that the amount of failure determines the amount of success. Many of my students strongly believe that there is no hope left. Thomas L. Friedman’s op-ed, piece, “How to Get a Job at Google” provided me with a sense of hope in our society. Friedman quotes Laszlo Bock, the senior vice president of people operations for Google, “Successful bright people rarely experience failure, and so they don’t learn how to learn from that failure” (Friedman). Along the same lines, I don’t believe my students and many, many others with similar situations realize that they can use their failures as learning opportunities and not an indication of their limits.
What would happen if more companies, as influential and powerful as Google, would start focusing on soft skills such as: leadership, humility, collaboration, adaptability and loving to learn and re-learn, as Google does, rather than on GPA and test scores? Could this encourage the educational system to follow suit? Could it create a new perspective on failure and provide hope for our students who struggle with issues that are beyond their control?
Brock sums it up perfectly, “Talent can come in so many different forms and be built in so many nontraditional ways today, hiring officers have to be alive to every one” (Friedman). I hope more educators begin being more “alive to every one.”
Resources
Friedman, T. (2014, February 22). "How to Get a Job at Google" The New York Times.