Have you ever gotten caught making a mistake? How did you feel?
Last Saturday, I went into Sun and Ski Sports to replace my bike’s back tire. I walked my bike into the store, ready to tell them the story of how I had to walk five miles because the tire gave out on me. I was prepared to tell them how I applied five patches to different holes but none of them worked.
I didn’t end up sharing any of that…
When I took my bike to the counter, I was greeted by Shane, one of the bike technicians. I told Shane I wanted to replace my tire because it had too many holes. That’s when Shane pointed out that I was supposed to patch the inner tube…and not the outer layer of the tire.
I immediately felt a wave of embarrassment come over me. I didn’t know Shane and he didn’t know me, but it didn’t feel good to look bad in front of him!
Here’s the thing though – Shane never did anything or said anything to make me feel worse about it. He just proceeded to show me what to do next time and helped me learn more about my bike. This made me feel comfortable enough to ask him other questions I had about my bike. Although I’ve had a bike for years, I’ve only ridden it about a dozen times. I wasn’t an expert in the least bit! Why then, did I feel so embarrassed about not knowing how to do something? I don’t know the answer to that question, but do know that I’m not alone.
Students in our classrooms experience these emotions every single day when they get a problem wrong or don’t know how to respond to a teacher’s question. Think about it. I’m a grown man who felt embarrassed when Shane pointed out that I didn’t correctly patch my bike’s tire. How must our students feel when they don’t know how to answer something that’s been covered for days, weeks, or months? How often do they feel comfortable owning their mistakes?
Shane reminded me of the impact teachers can have on a student’s confidence in their own abilities. Great teachers focus on getting it right, not on being right. They don’t care if a student has the right answer, as much as a student knowing how to get the right answer. Great teachers create classroom cultures where students feel safe to fail. They praise effort and guide students along the path that gets them to their destination.
Nobody in this world knows everything. Nobody has the answer to every question. We shouldn’t feel bad about not knowing something, and our students shouldn’t either. We should use those experiences as opportunities to learn and get better. Thanks to Shane, now I know how to patch a bike tire!
