We promote and encourage resilience in our classrooms. I began this week with my assembly which focussed on "success in failure". I shared a real life story with the children (my own!) that involved several major knock backs in the journey to success. I am lucky enough to be in a profession which I absolutely love and relish a challenge so it was easy for me to talk about the journey to get to this point. The children listened as I explained how I had not been a Level 5 pupil at Primary School (not that there were such success measures around in those days, but if there had been, I know I would not have been operating at that Level!). At best, I consistently achieved at age related expectations and academic "success" came at a price of having to work relentlessly hard to achieve anything. The subjects in which I excelled (Art and Languages) even took a nosedive during my A Levels, meaning I didn't get into the University that I wanted to. The children were interested to hear that I found my passion for teaching by accident as I desperately clung onto a way to pursue a degree in Art in any way I could (the Education route with specialism). Sharing this with the children was not supposed to be self indulgent, but a way of showing them that passions can be discovered as part of a journey to be great at something. I truly believe that it is a persons mindset, positive outlook and determination not to give up which contributes mostly to success and happiness.
This brings me on to what I would like to share with you now.Mrs Mistry brought Jacob in Year 2 down to my office earlier this week, with 5 drawings- each one increasing in complexity and accuracy. The final (and rather brilliant) one was the result of Jacob's utter refusal to give up before he had produced something that he was less than very happy with. He recognised that he had to "fail" first in order to improve and that tied in PERFECTLY with my message in assembly at the start of the week. An inspirational learner!
Here is Jacob's journey to success.
THE FINISHED RESULT!
