Failure Should Be Taught In School

I am writing to you from the road. Today, we’re in Naperville, IL!

It’s release day! Our new book, FAIL-A-BRATION!, is out anywhere books are sold!

Are you a supporter of the book yet?

First-week sales are a HUGE help in ensuring a book’s discoverability and long-term success. Get it!

In case you’ve wondered how book covers are created, here’s this educational video:

We don’t like hearing the words failing + school together in a sentence, do we?

Maybe it’s because it triggers memories of struggles with Algebra, hiding report cards from parents, or shame around not getting something right the first time.

Every day this week, though, I get to have conversations with studentsin schools about failure. For real. And they’re not in trouble. We’re laughing. We’re cheering. We’re sharing. We’re dremaing. Already it’s been so illuminating. Kids are amazing. I’m also happy to report there are some super adults surrounding these students.

This is an unused sketch from the book. It is based on a real-life failure of leaving one of my beloved stuffed bears outside in the rain. We removed this image because my own kids found it “too sad”.

One educator recently pointed me to a fascinating study on failure.

The study from Columbia University found that students who experienced small, controlled failures were better equipped to handle stress and uncertainty later in life. Dr. Xiaodong Lin-Siegler led this as part of the Education for Persistence and Innovation Center (EPIC). ← isn’t that a great name?

“We’re trying to understand the science behind people’s ability to come back from a failure to achieve big time in their lives,” Lin-Siegler says of the research of the Center, which she launched in 2018. “Failure has been stigmatized in schooling and society and is associated with losers.”

One thing Dr. Lin-Siegler found that helps is incorporating ‘celebrity’ stories of failure into curriculum. “Failure is information,” she says. Exposing students to these stories of imperfections, embarrassments, and setbacks aids in the student’s ability to tackle their own struggles in life. “How people and organizations interpret and react to failures is what counts for their subsequent productivity and insights. Reaction to failure is exactly what EPIC is studying: How to best utilize setbacks to turn failures into success.”

Here’s a supercut I put together of a few famous folks talking about failure:

Failure does not have to be catastrophic.

With the right community, failure can be a catalyst—catalyst for creativity, innovation, learning, and beyond.

Failure doesn’t have to be shameful. It can be shareable.

With the right support, this kind of sharing makes everyone in its orbit stronger. We grow and help each other grow. That’s worth celebrating.

Thanks for being part of this with me, friend.

THREE REALLY BIG THINGS YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW:

1. Purchase a copy of the book (or many copies!)

2. FREE VIRTUAL EVENT FOR SCHOOLS! INFO HERE.

3. A NEW EVENT HAS JUST BEEN ADDED: *STORY SALON!*

   *NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE * Monday night *

   * September 16 * 6:30 PM * Admission is FREE. RSVP HERE!

I am really looking forward to wrapping up release week with friends in Nashville. It would be a dream to have you there if you’re anywhere near.