Experiencing failure in school isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it builds resilience in life, according to some district officials.
A discussion about “social competency” prompted some interesting viewpoints by teachers and trustees at a recent Education Committee meeting.
Superintendent Bev Young said the district has expressed an interest in being involved in the social competency of students.
Sylvia Slater, president of the South Okanagan Similkameen Teachers’ Union, said research suggests that kids need to experience failure to develop life experience.
“I think we need to build resilience, and sometimes that includes failure,” said Slater.
School board chair Marieze Tarr said society is facing a crisis of overprotecting children and not teaching kids resiliency.
“If they don’t learn to be resilient, how can they cope?”
Tracy Harrington, vice-principal of Southern Okanagan Secondary School, expressed a concern about high school graduates failing “in the real world.” For example, getting a poor mark in university and “falling apart” because of it.
Young said the question is how do they get kids to cope when they hit barriers like this?
Assistant Superintendent Jim Insley recalled his soccer coach telling their losing team that the players learned resiliency by not quitting.
But Slater said there should be consequences that match the behaviour or lack of effort.
Tarr said the focus should be on teaching kids self-regulation, which will result in major changes.
“Our biggest job is to teach kids to question things . . . we have to teach critical thinking. That is our job,” Tarr said.
She stated it’s okay not to be a “superstar” in life.
Harrington said the comments of a Grade 12 student really affected her during a recent discussion. The girl was upset and said she wasn’t doing well in school and didn’t do anything “great.”
“She sees herself as an under-the-radar kid. That really hit me hard. After five years of dealing with them (students), we haven’t instilled that pride and self-esteem,” Harrington said.
But she noted that the girl works well with special needs kids, which is a gift.
The vice-principal said they need to focus on the “whole child” and their strengths.
Tarr commented that many times the superstars in school are not the leaders in the real world, it’s the hard-working, below-the-radar kids who excel.
Slater said the grad transition course, which prepares students for success after high school, deserves more time and energy in the district.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
