Morning Pages: Throwing Hands Up, Throwing in the Towel with Honesty

This morning's topic for our morning pages is Failure and how we as teachers can package failure in our classroom. I think a lot of what we deal with in our life is dependent upon the package or frame that we mentally put it in. Through this packaging, we choose how we want to deal with the issue, and more than anything it is a conversation with ourselves first and foremost. Following that packaging and conversation, we have the choice to share it with the world depending on how introverted or extroverted we are. A lot of people use social media for just this. But as a teacher, when failure happens in the classroom or in our life, we have the choice and what I believe the responsibility to be vulnerable and transparent with our students by sharing with them how we deal, package and frame the moment of failure so that we can give them and ourselves an opportunity to grow together. Being a mother, I have found this tool extremely humbling, attuning and eye-opening, as well as relieving and as a creative doorway to solutions and new turns.
So, you may be thinking, well, what does that packaging look like? I like to remember as Leonardo Da Vinci has said,
 I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.

I believe "teacher as lead leaner" is totally valid. We don't want to be on a pedestal where we don't make mistakes, are the experts, and create a gap between our students are ourselves.