(Please note the unprecedented on-timeness of this post. I told you I was working on it...)
Personal anecdote time.
I've been involved in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) for a few months now, and I finally had the opportunity to spar with my instructor the other day. Up until that point, we had only worked on drills and scenarios; I had never actually put on the headgear and attempted to put everything together in a simulated fight. I can't even express to you how excited I was when my instructor told me to get my mouthguard and meet him out on the mat. I was confident from months of training on punching bags and in controlled environments, and even though I had never done it before, I liked my chances of making some noise in our "fight."
Then I got punched in the face.
The physical pain was nothing remarkable. It was sudden, loud, and jolting, and my headgear was knocked out of place, but I didn't get knocked down or anything. Rather it was the mental pain that was more devastating. I tried to regroup and punch him back, but he remained constantly one step ahead of me. Every punch I threw he slipped and countered. I got tagged over and over again, each time becoming more frustrating than the last.
When we were done, I spit my mouthguard on the ground and threw my gloves and headgear down in disgust. So much for all those months of training, right? I was discouraged to the point of nearly quitting for good, and I became convinced I was destined to get my ass kicked forever.
That's when I had a realization. I was only destined to get my ass kicked forever if I quit then and there. Like the student who gets a question wrong on a test, I could either stuff that experience in the bottom of my backpack and never think about it again, or I could go back and think about why I got punched in the face repeatedly. I became determined to figure out the flaws in my game, and I can't wait to get back on the mat and avenge my first defeat.
The point? Sometimes the best way to learn is to get your ass kicked. Failure shouldn't be avoided, it should be embraced. We need to create classroom environments where kids aren't afraid to fail, and we need to be ready to teach based off of those failures (and to protect our heads at all times).
I agree with your statement that you'll only be getting your ass kicked forever if you stop trying to learn. I also feel discouraged sometimes, and I also have a recollection, not in MMA, but karate, of taking a face hit and, wow, there is nothing so painful as having everyone see that happen in the dojo. But it also means that perhaps you were trying a newer move, and let the old guarding move slip. That happens, and sometimes a solid hit is what we need to give us insight into our behavior.
ReplyDeleteNoah,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great story to tell your students. It lets them know that you understand what it's like to be the underdog, competing and having to live up to another's expectations. P.S. I didn't know you were into martial arts?! Cool :)
Noah, I think you make a great point in this blog- and one that really needs to be taken seriously! I feel, through my own personal experiences as a student in high school, that teachers ignore those who do not do well and support only those who get good grades. It's almost as if a bad grade on a test or an assignment means that you did not care, and therefore, did not try. In reverse, it should mean that the student is not understanding the material! I agree with Hillary that this is a story that should be told to your students- not only to encourage them to keep questioning their grades instead of quitting, but to also show them that you have failed and you have gotten up and tried harder. That failing happens to everyone, even their teacher!
ReplyDeleteWell said. I think that what holds student back more than anything is fear of failure. I've lost track of the number of times our profs have referenced that the joker at the back of the class is often trying to distract from the fact that they don't understand the content. I also think of every quiet kid who was afraid people would laugh if they got the wrong answer. I think it's so important to convey to kids that learning is about admitting what you don't know and then picking yourself up by your bootstraps and pushing forward.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and perfect anecdote (and it didn't even start with: "At my high school...)! I would love to stand up in front of my class on the first day and share your story (but I feel like I might have a problem with the language...).
ReplyDeleteI think this is a lesson we learn over and over again. If we can expose our students to this principle earlier, we can foster an environment of truly meaningful learning.
(Just kidding about the high school comment... You have great stories :D)
Noah, you already can see how evocative your story is, and how resonant. I was going to ask you to make sure that you shared this story with your students at some point, and the fact that several of your colleagues have made this same suggestion only makes me more confident of this suggestion.
ReplyDeleteOh, and now that you've shared this story, please don't think of it only as a powerful object lesson for your students. Remember it in those moments (and they'll come, no matter what!) when the lovely lesson you planned falls apart and your first impulse is to play it more conservatively (we all feel it...webinars anyone?) or to be hard on yourself. If we're not careful, those impulses can be very much the equivalent of stuffing things in the bottom of your backpack. It's an understandable and a VERY human impulse, but one to be wary of.