20 August 2021

Post date: Aug 20, 2021 1:53:53 AM

If we turn to the famous:

"The best is the enemy of the good." Voltaire

"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without." Confucious

"Striving to better oft we mar what's well." Shakespeare

I mentioned briefly, at the recent Parent Positive Education/Wellbeing Workshop, how perfection can cause a reluctance in our children. This is often seen in learning to write - "I know it's wrong so I'm not writing anything". It's clear that this is a topic many have turned their attention to for many, many years.

Enjoying the journey, the process and all of the tos and fros is the home of the optimalist. There are mistakes and missteps. It's about the trajectory - the momentum forwards.

Whereas the perfectionist is far more about getting from a to b, and b is totally crystal clear. The 'good enough' principle is not liked or considered!

Some of us are elements of both, some of us are clearly in one camp, others of us tend to be a bit more fluid and can go either way depending on context. Of course, in some jobs there is no room for mistakes to occur - there could be serious consequences!

When we turn to our children and view them with this lens, it is interesting. We need to think about the feedback we give them too as this may encourage the 'only getting it 100% right or not at all' contingent.

Feedback to encourage growth is what we aim for. I came across this article about feedback at work that may interest you. The same thing goes for our children..... I know I have to catch myself sometimes mid sentence and focus on progress and learning along the way.

PS. Well, I wrote the above on Tuesday morning when things were’ normal’. I hope these few days have been good to you all. The teachers kicked in quickly pulling programmes together for these days and are thinking about the what next week…..? As you are too. I guess, this afternoon we will know more and be in contact with you.