The Courage to Keep Going
By Mr Brian Gegard Reid, English Specialist at Knewton Global Schools Rawang

Samuel Beckett famously wrote: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

The most important word is ‘better’. To try again requires resilience, and with resilience comes progress. The logical extension of Beckett’s philosophy is not failure at all, but success: each attempt takes us a little further than the one before.

Learning rarely happens in one perfect attempt. Students write, receive feedback, reconsider and improve. A PEEL paragraph that does not quite work is not a failure; it is a starting point. A vocabulary test reveals what still needs to be learnt. A piece of writing with weaknesses provides an opportunity for the next attempt to be better.

Success, therefore, cannot always be measured simply by a grade. An A is certainly worth celebrating, but so is a C when it represents determination, genuine progress and a student fulfilling his or her potential. The letters may be the same for everyone – the journeys behind them are not.

Sometimes the best examples of this attitude appear outside the classroom.

Recently, Sofia from Year 2 arrived at volleyball practice and stood expectantly amongst a forest of much taller students. She seemed completely unfazed. She simply wanted to take part. Once practice began, her size ceased to matter. Through her enthusiasm, determination and willingness to have a go, this very small student stood out like a mighty oak.

There is a similar lesson in a tiny poem written in 1934 by four-year-old Ursula Kroeber:

Bears like honey,
I do too.
I like you, honey,
I sure do.

Four simple lines. But the important thing is that Ursula wrote them.

A blank page cannot be improved. A first attempt can.  Write the sentence. Answer the question. Attempt the serve. Put up a hand. Begin the work, rather than waiting for the perfect moment. Then reconsider, correct and improve.

Small beginnings should never be underestimated.

After all, four-year-old Ursula Kroeber grew up to become Ursula K. Le Guin, one of the most celebrated sci-fi writers of the twentieth century.

 

Challenging Vocabulary

Resilience – the ability to recover from difficulties and keep trying

Reconsider – to think about something again, especially in order to improve or change it

Determination – a strong decision to continue trying despite difficulty

Potential – the ability or possibility to develop and achieve something in the future

Unfazed – not worried or discouraged by something difficult or surprising

Underestimated – judged to be less important, powerful or capable than it really is

We often think that success is measured by achieving a perfect result. In fact, learning rarely happens in one perfect attempt. A few attempts are always better than giving up after a failure.

At ILTI, we measure progress and provide guidance for all our learners. We never stop learning and we will never stop encouraging.

Because every attempt is a step forward. Let’s start today!

Your English learning journey starts here. Call/WhatsApp: 010-395 3067 or email us at

Call/WhatsApp: 010-395 3067 or email us at info@ilti.edu.my

Transform your English skills—one word at a time.