NA-NO-WHY?-MO pt 4

The Pit and Failure

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Right now, I’m nearing the the end of trying to write 50,000 words in November for NANOWRIMO. I failed. But, did I?

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One of my 7th grade students describes the feeling when he is not in control of his body, the feeling of being overwhelmed, as being “in the pit.” When he’s “in the pit”, it can be very difficult to get out of. It’s very difficult to do work while “in the pit” and hard to follow directions. We have a visual we use so he can place a little stick figure into a drawn hole to let us know when he is feeling that way. I thought it was a very good and creative way to describe a feeling we all get at times. Down on ourselves, overwhelmed, stressed, overloaded, burnt out, etc. We are in the pit, looking up at a small hole above us, unable to climb the slick walls.

Failure is related to the pit. Failures can throw us in. Our whole society seems built to shame and judge everyone who ‘fails’ at something. My students constantly worry about failing, making mistakes or being a “failure”, whether because they made a mistake on homework, messed up on a quiz, or simply didn’t understand the lesson. If you fail, you’re doomed. You’re not going anywhere. You fucked up. It’s over. You’re a loser. Etc.

At the moment, I’m in a kind of pit.