Embracing Failure via the Conrad Challenge

Welcome to the Better Leaders Better Schools podcast.  This is a weekly show for ruckus makers -- What is a ruckus maker?  A leader who has found freedom from the status quo. A leader looking to escape the old routine. A leader who never, ever gives up.

Where are you comfortable as a leader and where do you need to take the leap?

Our guest today is a perfect example of what it means to step out of a comfort zone.

Kristie Letter is an English teacher who decided to take a shift from teaching English to teaching innovation and design thinking. Such a great shift! Also, she is a creative writer with a book of short stories coming out this month.

Listen in and I hope you will enjoy the episode.

We hope you enjoy the podcast. All the highlights, resources, and next steps can be found below. Listen to the full episode here and learn more at betterleadersbetterschools.com

 

Key Talking Points 

• Kristie’s introduction
• Kristie’s career shift journey
• The Conrad challenge
• Embracing failure
• Failure resume

 

Key Milestones of the Episodes

[03:00]  Kristie’s introduction

[04:01]  Kristie’s shift from teaching English to teaching innovation and creative design

[09:30]  The Conrad challenge

[11:52]  Embracing failure

[12:42]  How can we benefit from collaboration?

[13:37]  The failure resume

[19:41]  Stepping out of the comfort zone

[23:30]  Kristie’s dream school

 

Key Quotes

1. “Every elite performer is incredibly self-aware.”
2. “Failure is a powerful teacher and a prerequisite for innovation and success.”
3. “By reflecting on your failures, learning from them and moving past them, you will level up.”
4. “Recognize your nervousness and see that as an opportunity.”
5. “We have to embrace this kind of failure because otherwise they, they can't keep ideating after the first idea fails if they don't have a staunch response to failure.”
6. “Failure needs to be something that we teach and it needs to be something that we require.”

 

Key Resources 

Fire in the Hole by Kristie Betts Letter

Conrad Challenge Website

 

About Our Guest

Kristie Letter is a teacher at a public charter in Lafayette, Colorado. Kristie is interested in how students and schools are afraid to fail. Her students won multiple awards in the Conrad Challenge. She is also a creative writer with a book of short stories coming out in late September called Fire in the Hole. 

Conrad Challenge Twitter: @ConradChallenge

Kristie Letter Twitter: @kristieletter

 

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