Do you encourage kids to embrace failure?

Students at London's Wimbledon High School are being granted the freedom to fail starting Monday. (wimbledonhigh.gdst.net)

Students at a top girls' school in London are being taught to accept failure as an option.

Failure Week is set to begin in Wimbledon High School on Monday, as teachers encourage students to demystify failure, put it into context, and even embrace it as an important part of their education.

"I want to suggest to girls that it is acceptable and completely normal not to succeed at times in life," said Heather Hanbury, the Headmistress of Wimbledon High.

Hanbury stresses that success and satisfaction can come from "daring to fail and daring to get it wrong."

Wimbledon, an independent school in the U.K., has both junior and senior classes that cater to students from the age of four up to the age of 18.

The pupils will attend assemblies about the merits of failure, and will learn about the shortcomings of the famously successful as well as the blunders of their own teachers. The school is also encouraging parents to share their mistakes.

The students will also explore the negative side of "not failing". 

"My message to girls is that it is better to lead a life replete with disappointment than one where you constantly wonder 'if only'," said Hanbury, who added that it is better to try out for the team or apply for the job than avoid calculated risks.

The school notes that the fear of failure can be paralyzing, especially for high-achieving girls, and that "intellectual resilience and robustness is vitally important."

Do you encourage the kids in your life to embrace failure? Are you comfortable with taking risks and accepting life's disappointments? Let us know your thoughts.



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