Imperfection and Learning

   While recently rereading John Spencer’s article “The Genius of Design” (Educational Leadership, March 2017), this part resonated with me as I continue to rethink the role of coaching in district:

“Genius Hour projects are not guaranteed to go smoothly. In fact, they’re almost guaranteed to have rough patches. There will be moments of frustration and confusion. Some students will lose motivation and give up too easily.

But in the midst of the imperfection, something powerful happens. When students own the learning process, they grow into the reflective, insightful, creative, lifelong learners we believe they can be.”

   You do not have to know about Genius Hour projects in order to recognize what he is saying about learning: it is imperfect. Learning is also confusing, messy, frustrating, and difficult. Nevertheless, in the end, learning is incredibly rewarding and powerful.  

   As you are asked to think about “What’s next?” for you and your students, remember how we ask students to take risks and try new things each day in our classrooms. Remember that teachers also need to be willing to take risks and be imperfect. Being imperfect and taking learning risks doesn’t make us bad teachers; it is what makes us better educators.