One day, I watched a two-year girl run across a field when she stumbled and fell. She looked at her parents and exclaimed, "Nice save!" as she picked herself up. Unphased by the grass stain on her pants, she laughed and ran off to continue the journey she was on...
As children, we are conditioned by our parents, mentors, and the reactions of others. Our self-esteem and competence is built upon the many experiences that we encounter along our "journey" to adulthood. How we face problems, view challenges, and respond to compliments or advice from others can either help build our self-efficacy or create self-doubt in our abilities to accomplish goals.
We know that perfection is an unrealistic goal for ourselves and others. The way we view our "missteps and stumbles" is an essential part of growing and learning. I am thankful for the many mentors that I've had in my life who have modeled and CONTINUE to help me develop my competence-building skills in the areas of social/emotional intelligence, communication, reflection, respect, life-long learning, organization/prioritization, systematic thinking, and humility. As a classroom teacher, I tried to model and develop these same skills within my students.... but I didn't realize how much they would teach me in the process. Now that I am supporting and coaching adults... not much has changed. I continue to learn and grow alongside others... celebrating my strengths and admitting my weaknesses... expecting to make mistakes... and trying to remember to take time to reflect throughout the journey.
I am also thankful for those mentors who helped build my self-talk, too. My fifth grade teacher helped me grow from a worried and shy little girl, to a slightly more relaxed, less stressed 6th grader. He would say daily, "Hakuna Matata." And I still think of that and him as I go through challenges. As a sixth grade teacher, helping students gain their own efficacy is only behind teaching them the standards. Some days, it's more important.
ReplyDeleteReflection is key to continued growth and especially learning from mistakes that we make. It is important to take risks and try new things at times, all the while realizing that we may not always be completely successful. While this is true, if we take the time to reflect upon and learn from our experiences, valuable learning will take place!
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