Failure Fridays

Do you celebrate failure?

That might sound like an odd thing to do but embracing failure can be empowering.

Sharing examples of where people have tried and failed is a powerful way of showing children what resilience looks like in action.

I came across the idea of Failure Fridays reading a blog by Leticia Guzman Ingram in which she describes a teacher in Florida called Dane McKee who shows her class film clips of famous people like J.K. Rowling and Oprah Winfrey sharing stories about how they experienced failure before going on to succeed.

Failure Fridays can encourage students recognise that failure is not the end but the beginning of the learning process. They learn that giving up is not an option and that perseverance is key. They also learn that failure builds connections, grows the brain and makes us more determined.

Children can often see failure as something negative, something to be ashamed of and keep quiet about. But this is a barrier which stands in the way of them achieving success. Failure Fridays can then challenge these misconceptions and explore the positive factors and necessities of failure.

When we talk about failure and celebrate the hard work involved in getting somewhere we can see it as a key achievement on the journey to triumph and success.

Failure Fridays give children the opportunities to discuss their own experiences, share stories and help them to appreciate how everyone experiences failure. Discussing failure helps children see failure as normal, healthy and transformative.

Talking about failure and accepting it is good for our mental health. TGIF.