I have come to fall in love with teaching in Catholic schools. What are YOU in love with?...

"Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything." - Pedro Arrupe

Friday, October 7, 2011

We don't want perfect

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves.” 
- Thomas Edison

There is so much pressure on kids these days to "be perfect." Parents and students already have their sights set on college, graduate or med school, and beyond.

That's all well and good, but it's setting these kids up for failure...or for a nervous breakdown. Plus, it's creating a culture in which students are oftentimes afraid to try the harder path because they are afraid of failure. Even a small homework mistake may throw a student into a tizzy.

But without some failure, there will be no growth. Without accepting the fact that we might fail at something, there is no possible way we can be at our bests. And if we're not at our bests, then how are we able to achieve our true potential? 

Isn't it often that the hardest tasks and activities we do are often the most rewarding?

Let's let kids be kids - mistakes happen! Those mistakes won't kill them. In fact, if they learn from them, they'll be much better off in the long run. Failure from time to time gives us the opportunities to look at things from a new perspective and figure out better ways to tackle the tasks at hand.

Face it, playing it safe is not an option. The game is won by the ones who risk failure and push to success.

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