Albuquerque Public Schools
Rising Through Challenges
In her weekly message, Superintendent Blakey calls on educators to set high expectations for students.
As a teacher, I always thought of the school year in terms of milestones — the first day, the first full week, the first quarter, the first semester. And I always felt the first weeks were crucial because they set the tone for the rest of the year.
In those first few weeks, I made it a point to get to know my students and to let them know I expected a lot of them. Yes, there was often grumbling from some who felt I was being unreasonable or that there was no way they could do what I was asking.
But then, something remarkable would happen. They’d put in the work and start to rack up wins — for some students, that was an A, for others it was a B or a C — and their confidence would grow. My students rose to meet the challenge, and they were better off for it.
I was reminded of that a few days ago during a conversation with two middle schoolers — members of one of our Principal Advisory Committees.
They told me they don’t like when teachers “encourage” them. I was initially taken aback by the sentiment; after all, who doesn’t like to be encouraged? I drilled down, and they explained that while encouragement feels nice, what they really want is support — teachers who set high expectations and, when they fall short, help them figure out what went wrong and try again.
They gave a basketball example: a coach cheering from the sideline with “It’s OK, you’ll get it next time” doesn’t help the player improve. Improvement comes from drilling, practicing, missing shots, learning what to adjust and being coached through it. Students learn resilience and skill from sports. They learn that failure is part of growth.
Yes, failing is hard.
I will never forget the time I froze during a solo musical performance because of stage fright. It was terrifying, and the feeling stuck with me — but so did the lessons. My music teacher taught me how to face my fears, prepare differently and try again.
That’s probably why I’m drawn to “I Believe That We Will Win,” a Pitbull anthem that talks about knuckling up, buckling up, fighting hard.
“You know what spreads faster than any virus? Fear. When it comes to fear, you can either forget everything and run, or you can face everything and rise.”
Our job as educators is to help students rise — through challenges, through failure, through fear.
I truly believe we will win for our students — especially when times get tough. But we can’t win by taking the easy way out.
We often make excuses — sometimes with good intentions — for why certain students can’t succeed: poverty, homelessness, disabilities, discrimination, difficult life circumstances.
Yes, we need to acknowledge those challenges, but we can’t let them become ceilings.
High expectations plus support are essential. We can’t be afraid to push students — and ourselves — even if it means failure along the way. Failing is how we learn. Failing is how we eventually succeed.
I urge you to set high expectations for every student. Let’s create a culture in which failure is a step in the learning process, not the end of it.
I know it’s a big ask. We’ve been conditioned to avoid failure like the plague.
One of the most inspiring speeches I’ve heard on failure is Denzel Washington’s “Fall Forward” address to the University of Pennsylvania’s 2011 graduating class.
His central message was that playing it safe is no way to live. He challenges the concept of having something to fall back on.
“If I’m going to fall, I don’t want to fall back on anything, except my faith. I want to fall… forward,” he said. “At least I figure that way I’ll see what I’m about to hit. Fall forward.”
He delves into the failures that people like Reggie Jackson and Thomas Edison had before their breakthroughs.
“Thomas Edison conducted 1,000 failed experiments. Did you know that? I didn’t either—because #1,001 was the light bulb,” Washington told graduates. “Fall forward. Every failed experiment is one step closer to success.”
In the words of Denzel Washington and Pitbull, I call on you to fall forward. Face everything and rise. That’s how we — and our students — win.