Daily Tips for Families

Today's Tip for Families

03-30-2024

Talk About Mistakes and Failures

Few students ever make it all the way through school without experiencing setbacks. As John Holt writes in How Children Fail, "Life holds more defeats than victories for all of us." When these defeats or failures happen, you can help your student learn how to deal with them and go on to succeed.

To help put setbacks in perspective:

Acknowledge that your teen is probably feeling bad. Without minimizing your teen's feelings, try to restate the problem more clearly. "It sounds like you felt bad when you made a mistake doing a math problem when the whole class was watching."
Reassure your teen that setbacks provide information that allows students to make changes. Brainstorm together about what changes your teen might make. "I could double-check my answer."
Talk about the things you've learned from your own mistakes. "I finally learned that I have to get out the door five minutes earlier. Otherwise, I may miss the bus."

If your teen tries and fails, explain that failure is part of learning. Point out the things your teen did well. Then, ask what your teen would do differently the next time. Don't allow your student to lower expectations. Help your teen see that it’s possible to work through failures to success.

Brought to you by:

Nye County Schools
Pahrump, NV

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