Fail Forward

If you fail, fail forward.

Many students put too much emphasis on getting good grades; however, grades aren’t everything. What you learn from the lessons taught in class that are applicable to your life is just as important. Tests and quizzes are just a couple of ways to gauge how well you can recall what was being taught. Sometimes you’ll study for a test well, and still get a mediocre grade. When you get a substandard grade, being analytical about what happened that led you to that particular grade is the most beneficial response.

Metacognition

Metacognition, or self-reflection, is something that successful people do. From artists, athletes, to entrepreneurs, those that are successful get there through failing at one point or another. Everyone experiences failure, but how you react to it determines whether you develop character or not. It helps in learning about yourself and making the adjustments to succeed. In essence, failure is there to tell you how to be successful, but only if you are willing to listen.

Did you procrastinate? Did you cram the night before? Did you memorize vocabulary and not focus on comprehending the concepts? This is an opportunity to learn about yourself so that you can make the adjustments to be successful on the next test. This is what builds character, and in turn, what makes you a more well-rounded person. School is where it starts. You can build this skill of self-analysis in order to make adjustments in studying to improve on your next test/quiz, so that you can have the skill later on in life.

So, when you get a test or quiz grade that isn’t quite what you were expecting, reflect on all the factors that led to that grade. Make a list of what you understood and what you did not. Think about how well you studied and if it was spread over it a decent amount of time. Then, you can make the appropriate adjustments.

Keep going. It’s not easy, but you will succeed if you learn and trek on. If you fail, fail forward.