Failure IS an option

I am not a person that believes failure is not an option. I've learned to accept that failure is a part of life, a part of learning. It may not be fun or good on the ego, but I fail. As human beings, we fail on a fairly regular basis.

Talking the other day with some cadre mates, I made the comment "Started playing Halo 4. I die. A lot. And often." You see, over the weekend my brother dropped off his X-Box (really, I am doing him a favor. The kid is in Med School and shouldn't be wasting his time on such frivolity) and I started to play Halo. Here's the thing, I am truly terrible. And, playing Halo makes me want to punch someone. I want it to slow down I hate that my hands and brain can't catch up with what is actually happening on the screen. It is safe to say that I am a failure at Halo.

I am okay with being a failure at Halo. Let's be honest, it really doesn't matter. Maybe I wasn't a complete failure. I did actually get better with each resurrected turn. But ultimately I was frustrated, frustrated that I couldn't seem to get past a level. What's the point of dying over and over again?
Somewhere in the midst of my perpetual cycle of death, I began to think about the kids in my classroom. How often have they felt this way in school; feeling like they are stuck in a cycle of educational death? After all, gaming is a way of learning.

I just don't get it.
Why isn't this working?
I hate (fill in the blank with the subject or concept of your choice).
But I studied. 
I practiced.
But I can't fail!
I HAVE to do well on this!

I hear it every year. Kids who feel frustrated. Some of them give up. Some do not.

I am thinking of giving up on Halo. It's not my favorite and as I stated earlier, who cares if I stop playing. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme of life. But am I done with gaming? Nope. There are a lot of games I actually like. I can move on to the next one. Find something I do enjoy.

What about the kids in my classroom? Classrooms everywhere for that matter?

For many of them failure is not an option. Failure is earth shattering.
For many others, the constant failure is the death of learning. It is a constant source of frustration. They do not have the option of simply stopping and playing another game. There are certain things that they have to know. They need to know how to read, write, multiply. Options. There need to be options. Just as I can find another game to enjoy, I am still gaming. As a teacher, I want to provide options to my students. I want to help them work through the frustration and feeling of failure. I want them to understand that failure is an option and it will all be okay. They will learn, get better. And if they need it, we will find another option. Another game. Another way to figure it out.

For the record, I did enjoy creating my avatar.