JK Rowling was rejected by 12 major publishing houses, Thomas Edison took 10,000 attempts to invent the lightbulb and Michael Jordan is known for missing more than 9000 shots in his career. Yet they are all considered successes. Each one attributes their success to their earlier failures. Although they failed, they did not give up. The same can be said of learning.
Very few people are naturally gifted at something. Top athletes, writers and inventors don’t just get to where they are due to their brilliance, but due to their hard work.
“Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.”
– Thomas Edison
Each year our Director Jemma Zoe Smith at The Education Hotel encourages our tutors to ‘take up a failure’. That is, to try something that they have given up because they found it a struggle. Some tutors try a new language, others have simply tried to bake a certain recipe that has always failed. This year our Director took up skateboarding…
“Taking up a failure encourages our tutors to feel the same frustrations that students feel when they don’t understand a concept. Our tutors also experience the problems with practice (‘I don’t have enough time’, ‘I don’t like it’, ‘I don’t understand how to improve’). Often adults shy away from failure, in jobs and at home, yet then struggle to understand why students can’t ‘just try’. This exercise allows our tutors to empathise with students more, especially when it comes to revision and homework. For our students it is important to show that everyone struggles with something at some point, even tutors. However, no matter how many times I fall off of my skateboard, as long as I get back on, I am not failing.”
– Jemma Zoe Smith
How can The Education Hotel help?
If your child is struggling with any of the issues mentioned in this article and you’re seeking advice on what to do next. Take a look at our Educational Advice Service…
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