Annelle Keller responding to JK Rowling on the benefits of failure

During Harvard's 2008 commencement speech, JK Rowling said, "You cannot live and embark on adventures without risking and experiencing failure. If you do, you most likely have not lived at all." JK Rowling attributes her success to failure.  I totally agree with JK Rowling regarding the benefits of failure.  As adults, I believe that we have the hindsight to look back at our failures and learn from them.  JK Rowling stated that her "rock bottom" became the solid foundation in which she rebuilt her life. 
Unfortunately, at an early school age, people start telling us that failure is something bad, that it and taking risks are things to avoid. Children perceive failure as bad and are judged or graded accordingly. And so throughout the years, with the help of school and what other people around us tell us, we develop a fear of failure.

If as a school leader, failure is perceived as an important educational experience, then students should be able to accept failure. Students should be taught "how to fail" by...

1. Learning

Instead of seeing failure as something horrible, students should start to learn how to view it more as a learning experience. There is always one lesson or many more in what they may see as a failure.

2. Gaining experiences that could not be gained any other way

Learning from other people's mistakes and failures is not always easy to do. Sometimes failing on their own to learn a lesson and to gain an experience from it is the best way to find out how to fail.  

3. Becoming stronger

Every time a student fails, he/she will become more accustomed to it. Students will realize more and more that it's not the end of the world. 

4. Realizing that their chances of succeeding increases

Every time a student fails, they can learn and increase their inner strength. So every failure can make them more and more likely to succeed. And there is probably no other way to the success they dream of without a whole bunch of failures along the way.

Although the word failure has a negative overtone, failure should no longer be perceived as being the end. Instead, failure must increasingly be taught in schools as being a hurdle that forces one to stop and reflect about what went wrong, rethink strategy, and move on—often to help the student succeed in an entirely unexpected way.