Fail early, often and cheaply

Source: Acton Academy website, Oct 2013

One of our mantras at Acton is “fail early, often and cheaply.” This applies to everything from arguments with friends to writing a best-selling book or building a business.

The choice to work hard without excuses is a decision made by each learner at Acton Academy. Embracing rigor is part of saying, “yes” to a Hero’s Journey. Herein lies the joyful sweet spot of deep flow in learning.

What does this mean to me as a parent? Children are tougher and smarter than we adults make them out to be. As a mother, I need to remind myself of this when I want to take shortcuts to make my children’s lives easier. I need to allow them to struggle. I need to step back and let the learning happen. “Thank you for letting me do this by myself” are the words I love and long to hear.

• Posted in: Charter School ♦ Creativity ♦ Learning