My best friend often says "People deserve lots of second chances."
"But why?" I ask trying to grasp the concept. "At some point don't you risk people taking advantage?"
"Walter, people do the best they can. It makes no sense making it harder on them." I dedicate this blog post to my best friend and this wisdom I have come to adopt as my own.
In an age of cynicism and competition, I find the notion of second chances refreshing, intriguing even. But is it practical? Individually and collectively, how can we afford lots of second chances? Then again, are life and learning value equations? Is there some economic benefit to separating the men from the boys, so to speak? Or in reality, do we all rise to our own potential over time, given the chances and support we need to succeed?
As I look back over a lifetime of opportunities and challenges, how many times did I nail anything on a first try? Not many. How many second chances have I used? How many mentors supported me as I tried and failed and tried again? How many practice sessions? How many retests? How many mulligans? How many "I'm sorrys"? How many times redeemed by forgiveness? More times than I can count. And that's just in my lifetime. How about yours?
Learners grow in expertise and understanding the closer and closer they get to learning targets. They approximate their aim, try to hit the target, make adjustments, and try again. The more they continuously refine their efforts, they not only get closer to the target, they learn about the area around the target, and about their aim. Both accurate and inaccurate, every attempt is new information learners integrate into their learning