If you aren’t a teacher who strives for perfection, I bet you know a few that do. The perfect classroom door? The perfect classroom display? The perfect class? The perfect lesson? Why are so many teachers obsessed with perfection?
“Perfection is an illusion and those who seek perfection will find themselves unfulfilled their whole lives.”
Fiona Childs
Perfection is unattainable and constantly seeking it can be unhealthy, yet so many people wear perfectionism as a badge of honour. The goal should never be perfection, instead the focus should be on growth. When you consistently focus on growth and learn from your mistakes, you evolve.
To focus on growth:
- Take some time to set some goals for yourself.
- What do you need and/or want to get better at?
- Take small steps each day or week to work towards them.
- Reflect on your progress regularly.
- Make necessary changes.
- Repeat.
Once you achieve a goal, set a new one. How many goals you achieve and how quickly you achieve them isn’t the point – what matters is that you are continually growing and that you are better than you were the day before. Good teachers are always learning and setting goals without even realising it.
“Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change.”
Richard Branson
Don’t be discouraged if you have a few setbacks or take longer to achieve a goal than you expected. Take it in your stride and keep moving forward, no matter how slowly. Slow progress is still progress and is better than no progress at all.
“Perfection is not a standard … it’s an obstacle.”
Unknown
So, what are you waiting for? Don’t waste another second striving for perfection – embrace imperfection and continuous improvement instead.
Ideas Of A Teacher 