In this Saturday Stories episode, I focus on the leadership skill of dealing with mistakes. While decision-making is important, what matters just as much is how students respond when things do not go as planned.
Through the story “The Redo,” students experience a moment of failure when their structure collapses. Instead of quitting, they are faced with a choice—to stop or to try again. That moment becomes the turning point where learning truly begins.
This episode emphasizes that mistakes are not something to avoid, but something to learn from. When students adjust, reflect, and try again, they build resilience and deepen their understanding in ways that success alone cannot provide.
Ultimately, leadership shows up in what happens next. This story encourages students to see mistakes as part of the process and to develop the mindset of responding, not shutting down.
Show Notes
Leadership Kit focus: Decision Making
Skill focus: Deal with mistakes
Story: “The Redo”
The importance of responding to failure
Moving from frustration to action
Reflection and adjustment in learning
Classroom discussion and application strategies
Key Takeaways
Mistakes are part of real learning
Growth comes from how students respond
Trying again builds resilience
Reflection leads to better outcomes
Leadership is shown in what you do next
Transcripts
Funky Teacher, Nicholas Kleve:
This is Mr. Funky Teacher with BeAFunkyTeacher.com. I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast.
Welcome back, everyone.
Today's episode is called Saturday Stories Leadership Kit: Deal with Mistakes — The Redo.
Before we jump into today's story, I want to ground myself in gratitude.
First, I'm thankful for second chances because none of us get it right the first time every time.
Second, I'm thankful for students who are willing to try again after something doesn't go well.
And third, I'm thankful for moments when mistakes actually turn into better learning than getting it right the first time.
Well, it's Saturday, which means it's time for another Saturday story from the Leadership Kit.
Last week we talked about starting and making a decision instead of waiting.
This week we move into the next part of leadership—what happens when your decision doesn't go how you planned.
This episode is part of the Leadership Kit.
The value we're focusing on this week is decision making.
The skill students are practicing is deal with mistakes.
And the story you're about to hear is called The Redo.
The characters in this story are Aaliyah, Jaden, Sophia, Mateo, and Leo.
I'm going to read the story all the way through.
No interruptions.
Just listen, and then we'll talk about it.
So here we go.
The Redo.
The structure didn't hold.
It leaned for a second, then it collapsed.
Jaden stared at it.
"No way," he said.
Mateo shook his head.
"We had it."
Sophia looked back at their plan.
"I think the base wasn't strong enough."
Jaden sat in his chair.
"This is so frustrating."
No one moved.
The materials sat in the middle of the table.
Aaliyah picked up one of the pieces.
"Well," she said, "we know that didn't work."
Mateo let out a breath.
"Yeah."
Leo looked at the base.
"What if we rebuild just the first part?"
Jaden didn't respond right away.
"I don't want to mess it up again," he said quietly.
Sophia nodded.
"We might," Aaliyah added, "but we'll understand it better this time."
Jaden looked at the structure, then at the materials, then back at his group.
"Alright," he said. "Let's redo it."
They rebuilt the base—stronger, slower, more careful.
When they tested it again, it held.
Not perfectly, but it held.
Jaden smiled.
"That's better."
Mateo nodded.
"Yeah, way better."
Leo leaned back slightly.
"Sometimes you need the first mistake."
Sophia added, "Yeah, it shows you what matters."
Sometimes mistakes don't stop the work.
They move it forward.
So the skill focus here is deal with mistakes.
Mistakes are part of doing something real.
The goal isn't to avoid them.
The goal is to respond to them.
You can stop and be done.
Or you can learn.
You can shut down.
Or you can try again.
Leadership shows up in what you do next.
When you're discussing this with students, you can ask:
How do you usually feel when something you worked on doesn't go well?
What happened after the structure collapsed?
Why didn't the group just quit?
What helped Jaden decide to try again?
Later in the week, you can ask:
Why are mistakes important for learning?
What's the difference between giving up and adjusting?
What can you do next time something doesn't go as planned?
This week is about response.
Using this with students, stress that there is no such thing as perfection.
What matters is how you respond.
As the week goes on, notice moments when students recover from mistakes.
You might say:
"You didn't stop, you adjusted."
"That's what learning looks like."
"That mistake helped you."
Students need to understand that mistakes are not the end.
They are part of the process.
If you want the printable version of this story with teacher questions and a student handout, you can find it at BeAFunkyTeacher.com.
It is free for classroom use.
As I close, here's the leadership focus:
Mistakes will happen.
That's not the question.
The question is what will you do next.
Because that is where leadership shows up.
If you found value in this episode, head on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcast and leave a five star review.
It helps more teachers find this space.
And as you go into your day, remember to inspire greatness in young people.
