Most of us detest failing. The reality, however, is that if we learn from failure, we haven’t really lost. As an educator and as a person, there are a lot of things I have learned about failing. First and foremost, I have learned how important it is to accept criticism the same way we would admit appreciation and commendations. Feedback from people are greatly, if not equally, significant. They maybe thorns that prick but they keep us from straying from the path.
Failure doesn’t mean game over. Failure is not the end of the road but rather an obstacle to overcome. When we fail, we become more careful about the same things that we used to take for granted.
Moreover, I have learned that we have to keep going in spite of defeat. No matter how terrible or how low we can go, we will always come back if we endure and keep on. In defeat and failure, we cannot wallow in the mud but we need to get up, brush off the dust and do better next time. There is always a way to redeem ourselves. We may have failed but we can always do better given another chance. If not we can always improve in other areas and excel in some.
I have learned that failure can create a paradigm shift to our definition of success and that even in great collapses, there are still small victories. Failure can cause us to reflect on what success really is and whether it is what we were after in the first place. Therefore, it taught me that, possibly I was chasing something I wasn’t after in the first place. It taught me to set my priorities right.
Lastly, having said all these things, what will I do with all these information to better myself as an educator? I have taken this question a step further and decided not just to deal with it as an educator but as an individual with goals and aspirations.
By THOMAS B. DACAWE