I saw this snippet of a TED talk on Facebook and it really resonated with me. I have been successful in my academics and people are quick to let me know how bad they are at math when they find out about me. When did that happen? When did they become “bad at math” and why? And, are they really bad at math or did they give up or were they never inspired? I dare someone to tell me they are bad at math and I will challenge them, teach them something in minutes. Your children need to make mistakes and learn from them, let those mistakes empower them to do better and figure out their next move to avoid that mistake. Do not accept mistakes as complete failure – it’s temporary failure.
I love this video in that it highlights that students need to be brave and courageous in their academics, take risks. Do not accept defeat – take on the challenges and figure it out!
Interestingly enough, I have tutored 10 students during the 2017-2018 school year and they are ALL girls. They are ALL bright and so are their futures. They all have potential but they are not all brave academically. I agree with this speaker, they internalize their mistakes instead of embracing them. I push them without giving answers. I empower them to think differently, reduce reliance on calculators or formula charts, and tell them if they make a mistake…….they will LEARN MORE!