Strive for Excellence…
I choose this image/quote as a metaphor for my teaching because it reflects my evolution as an educator. When I started my career as an educator, I was obsessed with perfection: from myself, from my courses, from my students. It was draining. It was suffocating. It was completely unrealistic. And ultimately, both I and my students suffered for it. Perfection, especially in education, is simply not possible. No matter how well we plan, organize, and prepare, there will always be things we cannot control or perfect. Perfection leaves no room for evolution, adaptability, or spontaneity. This is a lesson I have had a hard time learning, and accepting. I still struggle with it, mainly because I like to plan, to be organized, to be in control, to know exactly what will happen. Of course, as an educator, you always have to plan, prepare, and organize. But that is part of striving for excellence as an educator, not a perfectionist. I have tried to replace my obsession with perfection with an aspiration for excellence. To me, striving for excellence as an educator means critically examining, reflecting and improving my practice.
Image: “Good Enough (lock)” by Brett Jordan is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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