According to Godin, our current educational system discourages students from being risk takers and instead encourages conformity and obedience. Even Harvard produces far more business consultants than it does bootstrapping entrepreneurs.
I like to consider myself to be somewhat of a risk taker. For example, the month after I graduated from college, I decided to take my wife and move to Beijing, China, never having stepped foot in Asia. While there, I decided to create my own line of electric bikes and market them back in the States. I travelled all around China to connect with Chinese-speaking manufacturers, learn the ropes, the language, the business, and the culture, and I had a blast! When I received backlash from people back home, I became even more determined to succeed.
As a teacher, I hope to instill a sense of risk-taking in my students as I let them see me take risks in class. I do so each time I design my lessons in such a way that forces me to try something new. Sometimes it is integrating new pieces of technology that I have been wanting to show my students how to use. Other times it is through making silly videos of myself and being brave enough to let my students watch them. This might sound strange, but I also love making mistakes. I find that in doing so, my learning is far deeper than when everything seems perfectly. I also hope to create an environment in which my students feel okay with making mistakes . . . an environment in which students know and understand that failure is not getting knocked down, it is staying down . . . an environment in which risk-taking is the norm.
I like to consider myself to be somewhat of a risk taker. For example, the month after I graduated from college, I decided to take my wife and move to Beijing, China, never having stepped foot in Asia. While there, I decided to create my own line of electric bikes and market them back in the States. I travelled all around China to connect with Chinese-speaking manufacturers, learn the ropes, the language, the business, and the culture, and I had a blast! When I received backlash from people back home, I became even more determined to succeed.
As a teacher, I hope to instill a sense of risk-taking in my students as I let them see me take risks in class. I do so each time I design my lessons in such a way that forces me to try something new. Sometimes it is integrating new pieces of technology that I have been wanting to show my students how to use. Other times it is through making silly videos of myself and being brave enough to let my students watch them. This might sound strange, but I also love making mistakes. I find that in doing so, my learning is far deeper than when everything seems perfectly. I also hope to create an environment in which my students feel okay with making mistakes . . . an environment in which students know and understand that failure is not getting knocked down, it is staying down . . . an environment in which risk-taking is the norm.