Can You Acknowledge Your Mistakes?

We all make mistakes.  Making mistakes is part of what makes us human. 
In fact, it is through our errors that we learn.  If we never made a mistake,
that would mean we have nothing to learn wouldn't it?

Maybe it is because of the way our school systems are designed, or the
way we are conditioned as children, but it seems that many of us don't like
to admit to our mistakes.  Perhaps we think we'll be seen as less than clever...

This is a lesson I am teaching my 8 and 9 year old children.  It's OK to get less
than 100% on a "test".  A "test" is nothing more than a way to discover what
you recall from what you have reviewed, on that particular day, under those
particular circumstances.  It helps you identify what you need to learn.  If you
get 100% all the time, you already know everything.  It's a tough lesson though
when the school system sets them up to compare their scores with their peers. 
They learn to identify themselves as a good student, or smart (or not) based
on those comparisions - which are clearly inaccurate.

Those children who score high get an inaccurate picture as well.  My son is a
very bright kid with an amazing memory.  He recently took a test in Social Studies. 
He hadn't studied at all, and only skimmed over the chapters the test was covering,
one day before the test.  He had not been instructed on the material at all - since
he is doing a blended homeschool/public school program.  He managed to get 80%
- the class average was 70% and they had been studying the material for about
5 weeks. 

In his mind, this means he never needs to study and can get by without
receiving any instruction.  In reality, he did not "LEARN" anything.  He was
simply able to remember enough of what he skimmed over to regurgitate
it on paper.  Simply because he has a photographic short term memory. 
He did not comprehend any of the material, yet in his eyes (and the eyes
of the system) he is that much "smarter" than the average.  In my mind,
this example is ample evidence that our school systems are not teaching
children to "think".

But I digress.  The point I was trying to make was that making mistakes,
or misunderstanding is not a catastrophic event.  It is an opportunity to
learn something.  Acknowledging a mistake is not a sign of weakness. 
If it is a sign of anything it is a sign of strength, but probably not.  It is
more a sign of understanding and accepting oneself. 

What do you think?