Monday, April 9, 2012

Failure

Failure is a funny thing.
If we don't do something quite right, we failed.
If we don't connect with each and every student, we failed.
If, heaven forbid, a student has more issues than we can deal with, we fail.

We tend to focus on the one
Forgetting about the many.
We want a magic potion to fix what needs fixing.
We want the giant S we wear under our clothing to mean something.

What we really need to do is
Be kind to ourselves.
We need to realize
Even the wisest people on the planet
have failed.
And sometimes, a student has to have the desire
To succeed.


3 comments:

  1. Exactly! I have missed you, Deb, & hope you are okay. I can't say it enough, your poem does hit the moment exactly, especially the final two lines!

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  2. Been wondering/worried about you! Glad to see you back!
    How do you give a desire to succeed? I'm not sure that is ours to give. Sometimes you have to let them go. I know. It's not like you. But you aren't the one that's failing, I'm pretty sure!

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  3. With testing starting this week, my thoughts turn to the fear of failure--mine and theirs. I put them together like a plus b. When in reality, I am just one of many adults along the way trying to reach and teach each child. Of course, I know the ones we don't reach today may find down the road one day, a bit of wisdom in something we said or we may pave the way for someone else to reach them. Thanks for your words. Yes, let's be kind to ourselves!

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