Sciences Participating with Arts & Culture in Education

The Fear of Failure

Illustrated by Kassandra Melendez

As I sat in my grade four-math class, all eyes were on me. The windows were wide open but no breeze entered. Instead the thick hot air filled the room. The voices of students and teachers echoed in the hallway. I wished I were out there; I wanted to be anywhere but in this classroom. All our desks were positioned in the shape of a circle which made it impossible for people not to look at you.

My teacher had just asked me a math question and was impatiently tapping her foot on the light grey tiled floor with her arms crossed. I looked at the black board and tried to make sense of what she had written, but I just couldn’t focus. A few seconds later she began to hum the song from the game show Jeopardy. Soon after the entire class joined her. I felt so frozen. I could feel my leg shaking uncontrollably under the desk like an old washing machine, and by then, I was not even thinking about or trying to answer the question she had asked me. I was just hoping and praying that this moment would be over soon. When she realized I would not be able to provide an answer to the question, she quickly moved on to another student. I let out a huge sigh of relief.

School is supposed to be a place where children feel safe, free to explore, learn and take risks. But school didn’t do any of that for me; it, in fact, made me feel the exact opposite. I felt too afraid to explore, learn, or take risks. I can’t help but think that there are so many other children like me in school right now, crippled with fear, unable to answer or ask questions. I also can’t help but think that there are many teachers like I had in the fourth grade, teachers who don’t create a safe environment for their students to explore in.

It seems as though certain teachers don’t see fear in the classroom environment as a problem. I read an online passage from Bob Sullo’s book that discussed how certain teachers believe they must create a fear-laden environment for their to be successful, and that “Fear is a great motivator, and without injecting it into the classroom they wouldn’t be doing their jobs.” I was surprised.

After reading this, I wondered how a teacher could ever believe this to be true. From experience, fear has never motivated me to do anything, and I’m sure that’s the case for many people. As stated by Bob Sullo: “fear compromises our ability to learn.” When we feel threatened and experience fear, we downshift to survival mode. Students are less able to learn effectively because their primary focus is on self-protection.

Children attending school are often, if not always, unconsciously taught to fear failure. When children are first enrolled in school, and are in kindergarten, the only thing expected of them is to have fun and explore their environment. But as children move from kindergarten to higher-grade levels, they quickly realize that learning is not for fun because of the fact that their mistakes and failures are counted against them. Suddenly they are being tested on things they have learned and are told that if they don’t do well on tests there will be serious consequences such as being held back and forced to repeat a grade. This is particularly frightening for children because what child wants to be left behind? This is where the fear of making mistakes begins.

Imagine going to school, every day sitting in class and being afraid of being embarrassed by your teacher. For many children this is a reality. Fear isn’t something to be taken lightly, it isn’t just “sweaty palms” and “a rapid heart rate” as writers T. Scott Bledsoe and Janice J. Baskin describe; it “impacts our cognitive processes, how we remember things, whether we can focus and pay attention, how well we plan and execute that plan, and how well we problem solve.” All the things that are effected by fear are what is needed in a normal school day, and it is therefore very important that the environment a student spends their time in is fear free in order for them to learn effectively.

When my grade four math teacher asked the class a question she would always ignore those who raised their hands and pick on those who did not have their hands raised. This is something I really disliked about her; it was as if she was purposefully trying to embarrass her students. Eventually I caught onto her strategy and developed a strategy of my own. Even though I did not know the answer I would still raise my hand, and if she did for some rare reason pick me, I would ask, “Can I go to the bathroom please?” According to John Holt, “It begins to look as if the expectation and fear of failure, if strong enough, may lead children to act and think in a special way, to adopt strategies different from those of more confident children.” (Holt 24) My teacher did not establish an environment where I felt safe. Instead she created an environment of fear for the majority of her students.

This thought brought me to a question. Why do some teachers feel the need to create a fear-laden environment for their students in the first place? As I was looking into this question, I stumbled upon a brilliant passage from Holt’s book that stated something quite interesting. Teachers who are insecure about themselves and their teaching methods often are afraid of getting abstract questions they can’t answer or understand; therefore they create an atmosphere of intimidation to control the classroom so that they are the only ones asking the questions. Holt states that “teachers do not value courage in children,” and, “They think that children who are brave will be hard to handle, and that children who are scared will be easy to control.”(Holt 234) When I read this statement I felt as though a veil had been removed from my eyes because suddenly it all became so clear.

Teachers might think that using this method to control their classroom does no harm, but it does. Kadeem Alexander, a Concordia student I interviewed, discussed with me his elementary school years, and how the feeling of intimidation really hindered his performance and made him feel uncomfortable in the classroom; “It prevented me from asking questions and being willing to approach the teacher for help,” he said. The more comfortable a child feels in class, the more they participate and do better in school. “A joyful classroom atmosphere makes students more apt to learn how to successfully solve problems in potentially stressful situations.” (Sylwester 61) When a child is afraid of asking questions it can really affect their academic performance because they might not understand things and be too afraid to ask the teacher for help, which will make them fall behind.

Courage is not something that should be feared by teachers. It is something teachers should nurture and encourage in all their students. Just like fear and intimidation can affect a child’s learning process, so can courage. Professor Andrew Martin defines courage as “Perseverance in the face of academic difficulty and fear.” Encouraging courage in the life of a student can really improve their learning experience. Courage allows children to overcome difficulties and thus reduces anxiety and the fear of failure.

People who lack courage not only experience difficulty in a school setting but also in all aspects of society such as the workplace and social events. The lack of courage prevents individuals from accomplishing goals they have set, interacting with other individuals, and trying new things. This lack of courage is often present when there is a certain fear of failure, but what people need to realize is that failure is not always a bad thing because it allows you to learn from your mistakes. Teachers shouldn’t be intimidated by courageous students or fear them; in fact they should get some courage themselves and not fear receiving questions they cannot answer.

Now looking back on my elementary school years I wish my teachers had created an atmosphere of safety, an atmosphere in which I felt secure enough to try new things and express myself. Teachers that use fear and intimidation as a way of controlling students need to understand that it doesn’t motivate or push them forward; it hinders and destroys learning.

Bibliography

Sullo, Robert A. The Motivated Student Unlocking the Enthusiasm for Learning. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2009. Print

Bledsoe, T. Scott, and Janice J. Baskin. “Recognizing Student Fear: The Elephant in the Classroom.” College Teaching 62.1 (2014): 32-41. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.

Holt, John Caldwell. How children fail. Da Capo Press, 1995.

Sylwester, Robert. “How Emotions Affect Learning.” Educational Leadership 52.2 (1994): 60. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.

“How Courage Can Help Students Learn and Achieve”. Psych.Org. 19 Aug. 2011. Web. 9 May. 2015.