No One is Perfect

In Effort from Seth Godin's Blog, Seth Godin

“Perfectionism is a false hope and a place to hide. Effort, on the other hand, is our best chance to do work that matters.”

When my husband was a student, he spent so much time trying to make his work perfect that he was so stressed out. Instead of turning his work in early, he tended to submit his work at the last minute. It didn’t matter how much time he spent on his work, he never felt like it was good enough to turn in. While I commend him for wanting to put a lot of effort into his work, there is no such thing as perfect.

My parents were hard taskmasters and wanted my work to be perfect. I know they just wanted the best from me and the best for me but it led to many years where I felt I was never good enough. It took a lot of years before I realized that this was not what they wanted for me. Instead, they wanted me to try and do the best I could and not accept less if I knew I didn’t deserve it.

I want my students to put a lot of effort into their work but I don’t want them to be paralyzed with fear that something isn’t perfect.

I want them to know that not being perfect is okay as long as they put the effort into it. When they turn their work in, it will be evident how much effort was put into their final submission. Those who put little effort into it will be given the grade they deserve.

When my students first attend my class, I state that as long as they put the effort into their work, they will not fail my class! I want them to know that it is okay to make mistakes and not be perfect. Once this fear is put aside, they are more willing to try new things and take the risk of making a mistake.

I let my students know that as long as they put effort into their work, I will be there to support and help them when they face challenges. They are not in this learning process alone. At some point, we may be learning side by side. I want them to see learning as fun and if not fun, a challenge worth facing.

Once they accept that no one is perfect, they can be successful in the classroom. They become more confident and less fearful. This success in the classroom will help them be more successful in life.

How do you feel about mistakes in the classroom? Please share.

Photo by Susan Wilkinson on Unsplash

Perfection

In More right in Seth Godin's Blog , Seth Godin states,

“Waiting for perfect is a never-ending game.”

Sometimes I expect too many things to be just perfect.

I expect myself to be perfect and never make mistakes. I expect to do everything I need to do perfectly. I expect everything I want to do perfectly. I want everything I plan to go perfectly.

I want others to do everything I expect with perfection. I want everyone to act and think perfectly in the way I want them to be. I want projects and plans to go perfectly.

I want my yard and my gardens to look perfect. I want the projects that I knit, crochet, or sew to look perfect. I want the yarn that I spin to be perfectly spun.

I want my students to behave perfectly. I want their work to be done perfectly. I want the lessons that I teach to go perfectly.

But that is not the reality.

I need to change the words to this “Perfect” song.

I need to expect that I will be flexible enough to deal with any changes or challenges in whatever I face.

If my plans don’t end up being perfect, that is okay if I have done my best. I will be able to roll with the punches because I will be flexible enough to make changes.

If other people aren’t as perfect as I expect, I will realize that they are human beings and I can’t control their actions. If I have done my best, I know I can only control my own actions. If I need to do something in order to accomplish what I need to do, then I just need to do it.

If my craft projects aren’t perfect, I will know that it may be a learning experience and see what I should have done differently to make the project better. This way I won’t make the same mistake if I do a similar project. If I can learn something from it, it isn’t a waste of time.

If my yard and gardens aren’t perfect, it is because flowers, weeds, and grass always growing as long as they are alive. I will be thankful that they are living and that I enjoy working outdoors.

I have to accept that my students and their work will never be perfect. That is why they are in school and they are learning skills to help them succeed in life. They will never be perfect and no one can be. I don’t need to lower my expectations as much as I need to help them learn to do their best. Instead of perfection, I need to expect high effort. Putting effort into something is more important than doing it perfectly which is impossible.

When my students know that I’m expecting the impossible, they won’t put any effort into it. I am setting them up for failure and those students know it from the start. Yet, if they know that I’m looking more into how much effort they put towards accomplishing something, they will try harder.

How do you avoid being a perfectionist? How do you help your students learn this skill? Please share.

Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash