Getting comfortable with risk

As educators we often say that we want our students to be risk takers -  we define risk as an opportunity to take a chance or explore the unknown.  It can involve physical, mental, and emotional tasks.

The start of any new school year is filled with a certain level of risk.  An unknown routine, strange surroundings, and rooms full of unfamiliar people all contribute to a high level of stress for both children and adults. Will I know what to do?  Will I be able to change between my classes?  Will I like my new teachers? What will happen if I’m afraid to try or, worse, try and fail?  Luckily, the reality is that our children can learn to adapt quickly. Unfortunately, our emotional brains frequently forget this, leading to a fear of risk.

Our children encounter a multitude of risk-taking opportunities everyday. Some of them seem benign to adults; putting marks on paper, talking to a peer or adult, raising a hand in class, answering a question, going across the monkey bars at recess.

At Parker, teachers recognize the risks children meet everyday provide an opportunity to either learn something new or reinforce previous concepts. Our job is to both encourage and assess the risks children encounter.  We want to always balance the potential for growth against the possible discomfort a student may feel when going out on a limb and taking a risk.  Our students should leave school comfortable with taking reasonable chances and be willing to try something new.  Innovation cannot happen without a moderate comfort with risk.

Another component crucial to risk taking is flexibility.  Kids need to be able to be flexible in order to take risks.  If rigidity gets in the way of trying something new, the opportunity for growth is lost.  Flexibility allows children to be able to practice assessing risks, as well.  Should I raise my hand and answer this question in math?  Should I take a leap and start a new story during creative writing today? While making decisions about small risks such as writing or drawing something they've never practiced before, children are practicing for the bigger risks they’ll need to evaluate later.

Getting kids comfortable with risk is a good thing.  As adults it's up to us to encourage, support, and help the children in our lives get to this place.

For more thoughts on risk taking and why we shouldn't be protecting our kids from failure.