Normalizing Mistakes as Pathways to Learning

Teachers often feel immense pressure to appear all-knowing and correct at all times. Students tend to implicitly expect their teachers to be experts on every topic, since teachers are generally placed in a position of authority and trust within the classroom (another topic for another day as to how teachers gain this authority and trust). This sets up an impossible expectation, as teachers are simply human and will inevitably make mistakes. Though teachers strive to provide accurate information, I often wonder if the demand for omniscience sets teachers up for failure. This pressure can also prevent authentic learning experiences where teachers model how to humbly acknowledge gaps in knowledge and correct mistakes. Rather than perpetuating the myth of the omniscient teacher, educators should focus on creating an open learning environment where curiosity and growth mindsets are valued over certainty. This involves transparency about the limits of one's own knowledge and modeling how to gracefully handle being wrong.

(Noting in case it wasn’t clear… this is not to say that educators should not strive to proactively inform themselves to the best of their ability.)

As educators, we are often taught to view mistakes as the greatest opportunities for learning. When students make mistakes (which they will), we have the privilege to guide them through the process of identifying, understanding, and correcting the errors. Rather than scolding or embarrassing students for getting something wrong, we have this immense gift to turn mistakes into meaningful learning experiences. This is one of the things I have always been most grateful for as a teacher.

Similarly, when we make mistakes, we should model how to handle being wrong gracefully. And this is not meant to be in passing, but in the moment, creating yet another learning opportunity for students by owning up to the mistake transparently. Mistakes often occur because of incomplete understanding, not necessarily negligence or ill intent. Framing errors as learning opportunities rather than personal shortcomings fosters an environment where students feel safe acknowledging they don't fully comprehend something. And I would go as far as to argue that is there really any instance where someone “fully comprehends” something? Acknowledging "I don't know" takes humility, but enables progress.  

This is something that I also believe should translate into any environment. The most meaningful learning comes from overcoming mistakes, not avoiding them entirely. Mistakes are pivots that guide us toward deeper understanding and those (not just teachers) who embrace mistakes, model accountability, create safety environments, and equip others with the mindset to persist through challenges, will find the most success in the areas that this is being fostered.

I would challenge any reader to think about how your perceptions of mistakes drive your behaviors as well as how those around you view mistakes and the impact that they have on your emotions and ability to find success in whatever area you are in. And this isn’t an easy solution to make change in - but often the most difficult and challenging ones are the ones worth fighting for.