I, like many others, am in a process of learning to trust others and myself.
Will this relationship last?
Will my partner ever grow out of a bad habit?
Did I make the right decision to quit my job?
Am I an effective teacher?
There are no immediate answers to these questions, so one might wonder if there is value in asking them. I know that when I start asking questions like these, it means I’m experiencing fear that needs tended to.
My fear typically stems from having an expectation of perfection. We’re all simply human, and we all make mistakes. I can have faith in the fact that I’ll make mistakes; my partner will make mistakes; my students will make mistakes.
What I try to focus on is my perception of the mistakes. I ask myself, “What did I learn from this situation?” and “How have I grown from this experience?” When I ask these questions instead of questioning the unknown, it’s an indicator of my growth as a person. The perception of “Life is a series of opportunities to grow and learn” is far more empowering than focusing on that which we cannot control.
This perspective is easily transferable to the classroom and teaching practices.
I see my students striving for perfection with the units they implement and the classroom management systems they set up. But when a lesson bombs and behaviors gets out of control, the expectation of perfection comes tumbling down around them, leaving them in ruins of self-doubt and fear that they’ll never reach their goal of becoming a stellar educator.
I calmly urge pre-service teachers to consider what they learned from the situation and ask them to reflect on how the “flop” can be “flipped” into a positive message about their strengths and goals as a teacher.
So the lesson here is that trust in ourselves and our students may come easier if we change our perception about failure/perfection. For instance, I don’t know if the new course I developed will be a success. However, do know that I will learn plenty from the experience so that I can make revisions for the next time. I’ll collect regular feedback from students to inform my decisions. And I’ll stand in front of my students each class session confidently armed with my core values of authenticity, transparency, caring, passion, and dedication.
Acknowledging my core values keeps me grounded in my identity, which is something I can definitely trust!
