I totally agree with Sherry's point, that if students are presented with the option of failure, they will be more motivated to succeed. This sentiment reminds me of the adage "You don't know what you got till it's gone" and many of us have experienced this in life more than once. I feel that when presented with an opportunity to be successful and one fails at that opportunity, having realized what could have been if you were to succeed, provokes a motivation to be better next time, to not fail. An intimate example of this would be my experiences with the my revolving door of loser boyfriends. It takes a painfully long amount of time for me to recover from the failure of a partnership, but every time as a result of the last heartbreak, I am determined to be more successful with the possibility of a new Love. (enter real life awesome long term boyfriend manifestation sequence here)
Academically, when a student is presented with the possibility of failure, I believe it depends on the student as to whether or not they choose to move forward in a positive way. It has been said that successful people view failure as an opportunity rather than a defeat. I failed 10th grade English class and I was devastated. As a high school senior I had to take the class over again as well as attend summer school. It was horrible. The educational system made me feel as if I myself was a failure, and that because I had failed this class I would always be a failure and trapped in my small hometown and I would never have any concept of literature or be successful in anyway. I was ashamed, yet embarrassed enough of my "failure" to make sure that I was worthy of something better.
I passed summer school with a 104 A+. My teachers were pissed, for lack of a better word. I contribute that grade to a smaller class size and the absence of regular school year distractions like football games, the lunch hour and weekend parties as well as the terrible embarrassment I felt at failing the class and having to go to summer school. I also failed American History and had to attend summer school again, to be able to graduate. Not graduating with my peers presented a wholly devastating vision of an idiot loser I could barely cope with. I received a 98 A in American History in summer school and now, at nearly 30 years old, I am a Historic Preservation major with a focus in Construction Technology/Carpentry and my dream is to work for the National Park Service for Historic Preservation. I have been accepted into the University of Oregon Historic Preservation Field School along with a scholarship and will be working in the backcountry of Washington this year restoring a 1940's barn and 1930's Civilian Conservation Corps. shelter.
If a student does not possess a healthy fear of failure, how do they define success? Do they have a desire to succeed in the first place? Without a "healthy fear of failure", as Sherry puts it, in life and in academics, the potential for complacency becomes very real and human beings are meant for more than the stagnant existence of failure.
I've always said, if I had to title the book of my life it would be "Living on the successful side of failure" (with a really awesome boyfriend - tee hee!) - or - "Walking on the happier side of Misery" - which is actually the title of my friend Model T's book - you can find the link here. :)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47839.Walkin_on_the_Happy_Side_of_Misery
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