#MediaMonday: Setting the Stage for Success
Good Morning Everyone,
Well, we are close. Convention is next weekend and if you're anything like me, you have been practicing for contests for a while now and are making all sorts of plans and contingencies for the upcoming event. The students have been prepping, putting in the hard work, and are ready to reap the benefits of their efforts.
The kids are ready and so are we, so today's topic is: Setting the Stage for Success.
Pretty soon, STN students all over the USA will be waiting with racing hearts and fully-charged batteries for their contest prompts to drop. They will have imagined this moment over and over again and will be flying into action as soon as they have direction. However, before your students are competing and in the thick of it all, please allow me to back up a moment and make a plea to you as a fellow educator.
As your students seek to do their best in their events, I would ask that you take a moment to sit them down and explain to them the following concept: Winning doesn't matter. Let me repeat that for everyone out there: Winning doesn't matter. Sure, winning is fun and placing first is a thrill. However, if you build a culture in your program where winning is everything, you run the risk of teaching your students to devalue efforts that go unrewarded.
As I have been watching the Olympics with my son, I have had many conversations with him about winning and losing. In the midst of all of these talks, I realized something: every athlete at the Olympics (even the ones who finish last) are the best athletes in the world. Through the system of trials and qualifications, they are statistically the greatest athletes in their events in the entire world. However, most are not rewarded medals for their events. Does that mean they lost?
You see, STN students are the best media students in the country. They know their stuff and are amazing at what they do. Most of those amazing students will not have their names on anything at convention. They will spend the weekend pouring their hearts into an event that will be won by someone else in another state. Does that mean they lost?
Regardless of how they place in their event, please build a culture of valuing hard work and determination. If that results in a win, well that is just a a nice finishing touch on top of a hard day's work. If we expect or demand wins from our students, I truly believe that your entire program has already lost before the event begins (even if you get your names on a plaque). If you expect students to work as hard as they can and to be proud of the work that they have done, learning from their experiences, then you teach a young adult to be a lifelong learner and risk taker. At that point, the awards received are far greater than anything you can hang on a wall.
I would like to congratulate the programs that will win awards, and I would be lying if I said that I didn't hope some of my students are recognized for their efforts, but on the Sunday night of convention, they will all KNOW that I am proud of what they did and they they should be too.
At that point, who cares about an award?
Talk to you soon,
Josh Cantrell