Perfect imperfections
Perfection is overrated! From a very young age we are encouraged to strive for perfection. Whilst this is not a bad thing, it can result in us missing out on the true beauty of the world in which we live. Make no mistake, I am all for being the best you can be and having high standards, but not at the expense of enjoying life. You see, if you become obsessed with perfection, living in an imperfect world can become quite taxing and you risk losing sight of the importance of the process.
I spend a lot of time walking around Edenhurst, dropping into classrooms, sometimes repairing things and sometimes just appreciating the lovely buzz around our school. In my travels, I occasionally come across imperfections. By this I mean an area of the school that needs redecoration, a poster that has come off the wall, or simply something that isn’t working the way it should. Earlier this week, I found myself struggling with one of the display screens in a classroom. The fact that it refused to work the way I wanted it to, infuriated me. To the point that I asked myself why I even bother. I was confronted with a choice: I either get annoyed by this imperfection or I do something about it. I chose the latter and persevered. The sense of achievement when I sorted it out was very satisfying. This got me thinking. What would it be like to have the perfect school? By school I mean the institution as whole and not only the buildings. So, a shiny new school building, purpose built and faultless; perfect teachers; perfect children and perfect families. Sounds great, doesn’t it? It then struck me, if that were the case, what would I do? What would any of us do? What a boring world that would be!
Perfection as an ultimate goal is great but the imperfect process of getting there is wonderful in itself and not to be underestimated. The reward at the end is much sweeter if the imperfections are greater. The process is more important than the result.
I love working in an imperfect school. Yes, you read it here first: Edenhurst is not perfect! What we are is imperfectly perfect. We have just enough imperfections to keep us striving to be better. More importantly, we enjoy the process. I spent this morning out and about in the school with this changed mindset. I enjoyed watching teachers and children striving for perfection in their lessons and play. I enjoyed the less than perfect weather. Mr Box and I moved some furniture around and the result is more perfect than it was, but still delightfully imperfect.
Today has been a perfect day because of its imperfections.
Categories: School Blogs Uncategorised
