Valuing Mistakes
“We have to teach children that mistakes are part of learning and we have to show them that we value mistakes. We have been mistrained to think that effortless perfection is the end all and be all and our children have been harmed by that idea.”
Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. – The Dangers of Inappropriate Praise
I think there’s a lot of truth to this statement, regardless of age – the idea that any of us can get through life without making mistakes (including some doozies) is completely at odds with what we believe as Christians. We need to help young people to LEARN from their inevitable mistakes and not repeat them. Just ask any businessman or parent if they’ve made mistakes, and the answer will be “yes” – but chances are they took the time to learn something valauble from the experience.
Part of our goal at Elijah School is to get students thinking and talking. So many students with learning differences or disabilities are afraid to try new things for fear they’ll fail – we are encouraging them to proceed boldly, that failure is part of learning. Praise needs to be honest in order to build lasting self-esteem and self-confidence. ALL of our young people have gifts and unique abilities – having learning differences or requiring a more hands-on curriculum doesn’t change that.
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Part of Elijah School’s dream is helping our students see the adventure of learning. Mistakes are an important part of the story. Learning to feel confidence even after mistakes is part of the adventure also.