Let’s teach our kids to “fail forward”

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. The TEDxPlano 2014 theme was “On The Verge” — As a teacher who “touches the future,” Ramy Mahmoud lives On The Verge.

Ramy was born in Cairo, Egypt and moved to the Dallas area when he was just 4 years old. Says Ramy: “If you’ve never been thrown into a new country, language, and culture before, let me tell you; it’s a hoot!” He had to learn quickly and accept constant defeat in his pursuit to acclimate himself to the western world. He soon realized that his constant tenacity was not always reciprocated with his classmates growing up, and he thoroughly enjoyed working with his peers to help them succeed. This naturally led him into the teaching profession. Ten years later, Ramy is now the PISD Secondary Teacher of the Year and works constantly to pass on his message to help create the kinds of students that he had to learn quickly to become.