Humility

Humility: Of all of the places I could have learned about the benefits of humility, was a blog post I came upon via Twitter from the website The Art of Manliness.  Granted, the article "The Importance of Owning Up To Your Mistakes and How to Do It" is totally geared towards the male-waffle* mind but I was able to relate to the examples and rationale really well.  

The author says it best: "[I]t's simple - you can't learn from your mistakes if you can't acknowledge you've made them!"  Once upon a time, I was one of those teachers (people really) who could never make a mistake...period...no matter what.  A student called me out on it one time and really made me consider the lesson I wanted my students to learn from me.  It's definitely not "do as I say, not as I do."  If I expected my students to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from them, why wouldn't I want to role model that for them?

I wish I had read this article much earlier on as I have taught countless of young ladies and gentlemen that could get advice on how to act as a grown man or to know what a grown man should act like.  

Takeaway: If for no other reason than to role model appropriate behavior when one makes a mistake, allow yourself to make mistakes in front of your students, children, or athletes.  Also, allow students to see your process and correct the mistake without judgment.  

*Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti by Pam and Bill Farrel, it's amazing, give it a read!