Leaders must create concrete structures that promote continual growth within their schools. One of the largest obstacles to this growth is the fear of failure. It is found in all of us, and teachers, being the bearers of knowledge, are often afraid of being seen as incompetent. To combat this mindset, I created an award to reward those teachers who have attempted to try some type of improvement, and failed.
It is easy to reward success, but Carol Dweck advises us that we must reward the process, the attempts at success that do not give us results, but nonetheless contribute to our learning. This award is to be given out monthly by a staff leader to foster a culture that talks about their failures as opportunities to learn.