I think most faculty have a love-hate relationship with mistakes. On the one hand, we understand that learning is messy and involves missteps and do-overs. We know that a growth mindset is important to development. We want to see mistakes as opportunities. But on the other hand, no matter how well we understand at an intellectual level that mistakes are an inevitable part of the learning process, many of us experience mistakes as overwhelmingly negative. Our own mistakes engender dread, a wrenching in the gut, and sweaty palms. They trigger doubt and embarrassment. They are a judgment against us and signal a lack of innate ability.
