Are you failing?

 

I was standing in front of a room full of students, and reflecting on what a gift and responsibility it is to teach.

As they worked on their final projects, some more so than others, I went around and began chatting with them about the progress, problems, and any other random topics that popped up.

One young man, was sitting with his head down on the table doing nothing… I hate to say it, but this was nothing new. He rarely comes prepared and even more rarely completes a project, but I still love him, and deeply want to bust down this wall that’s holding him back.

Our conversation started out slowly. I asked if he always forgets things, or just things related to school.

He responded, I pretty much forget everything.

me: do you have a job?

him: well… he’s beginning to squirm with discomfort (we’re getting somewhere) Well, I”ve had 6, but just got fired from the last one because I forget to show up 4 times.

me: yeah, that’s not going to work.

him: will you hire me?

me: well , you’re going to need to convince me that I should do that.

me: what do you want your life to feel like?

him: what do you mean?

me: I mean, what do you want to feel like each day, why do you get up in the morning. I can’t imagine that it feels good to always be forgetting things.

him: I want to feel happy

me: What makes you feel happy?

him: feeling proud of what I’ve done

At this point I can sense that we’re getting closer and closer to the real reason that he forgets everything and consistently sets himself up for failure, but I’m also aware that he’s a 16 year old teenage boy, and other students are watching, it’s likely I’m not going to get this conversation to go much farther.

me: what makes you feel proud?

him: Ummm… well, he gets up. This is a lot of questions Mrs. Kane. What’s with the interrogation?

me: I’m sorry if it feels that way to you. I don’t mean it to. I’m just having a conversation, getting to know you. I care. ( I know this is where the conversation will end for the day, there are way too many students and way too many feelings involved. )

All too often I watch students create an environment where they will fail. Often, it’s because when they were younger, they got a bad grade, and then another. They were embarrassed when they didn’t know the answer, and it became a learned behavior to present themselves as being less intelligent and less talented than they really are. If they aren’t trying, then they don’t really fail.

Sounding familiar? Are you starting to squirm? We all do this from time to time. However, some of us get stuck in failure mode, and go so deep that we can’t get out on our own.

You’re creative, you have a voice, a talent, a perspective that no one else does, and it’s time to take down the walls.

That’s why I designed Creative Confidence, and you’re invited.

click to gain early bird access: https://theunstandardizedstandard.com/creative-confidence-e-course/