The Master Teacher Blog

Grades play a complex, multifaceted role in most classrooms. While they are intended to communicate what students know and have learned, grades are often used to influence behavior and communicate information well beyond their stated intent. Consequently, grades become a highly attended to, but often confusing vehicle for communication.

Reminding students and others who pay attention to and depend on grades that they are to reflect learning—not the purpose of learning—can be an important first step in dispelling confusion. However, our grading practices also need to reflect this intention.

Unfortunately, many commonly accepted grading practices are not consistent with a commitment to have grades solely reflect what is learned. Nor do many grading practices reflect the realities of learning challenges in the lives of students. Here are five common, but often overlooked, grading practices that are worthy of reflection and adjustment.

Mistake #1: Giving equal weight to early learning efforts and late-stage performance. Students come to learning challenges with a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and levels of readiness. Initially, those students who possess limited background knowledge and experience related to what they are asked to learn may not perform as well as those with greater background and related knowledge. Consequently, early assessment information is likely to be more of a reflection of prior knowledge than current learning. On the other hand, later assessment information is likely to be more reflective of learning and thus deserves more weight in grade calculations.

Fix: Give extra weight to student performance demonstrated later in the teaching and learning cycle, thus capturing true learning rather than rewarding background knowledge.

Mistake #2: Refusing to change grades once assigned. We want grades to reflect what students know and have learned. Yet, an initial assessment can reflect partial understanding, existing confusion, or the presence of distractions. Subsequently, learning may continue, confusion may be cleared up, and distractions may be removed. What a student ultimately knows may not be reflected in an initial grade.

Fix: Provide flexibility for grades to be modified as students demonstrate additional learning. Our flexibility can encourage students to continue to reflect, learn, and be recognized for additional progress.

Mistake #3: Giving significant grade weight to work intended to be completed out of school. Traditional homework is deeply embedded in the perceptions many people hold regarding a rigorous education. However, expectations for learning intended to be completed outside of school raises significant concerns. Some students may not have access to the tools necessary to complete the work, such as access to technology devices or internet. They may not have the appropriate space or environment to complete the work. Or they may have responsibilities that compete with homework completion. Further, research on the effectiveness of homework to support learning is mixed at best.

Fix: Give students options for completing assigned work within the class period or school day or provide options for completing the work that are not dependent on access to technology, family support, and other resources.

Mistake #4: Grading almost everything. Of course, we want the grades we assign to be representative of what students have learned and be based on an adequate amount of information. However, choosing to grade too much can work against this goal. Some work students complete may represent early practice, informal progress checks, or formative assessments. While these pieces of work product can inform further learning efforts and provide guidance for our instruction, they may not necessarily qualify for a formal grade.

Fix: Carefully choose assessments, projects, and other work products that offer credible evidence of learning. While having multiple data points on which to base a grade is important, mixing practice and informal assessment information can compromise the extent to which grades accurately reflect what students know and have learned.  

Mistake #5: Using grades to force compliance, motivate, or punish students. Multiple research studies document the lack of consistent power of grades to motivate learners. In fact, over-reliance on grades can lead students to look for shortcuts to high grades while skipping the work necessary for learning. Grades should reflect learning, not be a tool to drive compliance. When grades include teacher-pleasing behaviors, socially adept students tend to benefit while traditionally marginalized students tend to be disadvantaged.

Fix: Avoid using grades for any purpose other than to communicate learning attainment and progress. Encourage students to focus on accomplishing learning goals and meeting learning expectations. Never threaten to hold a grade hostage to non-learning-related behavior.

Grading can be a daunting challenge. However, when we commit to having grades reflect learning and avoid other uses and influences, the challenge becomes more manageable, and grades also become clearer and fairer to students.

Summer is quickly passing and before we know it, we will be starting a new school year. The list of tasks we need to complete before students arrive is important. However, physical preparations are only one part of the process of readying for the new year—we also need to give attention to our mental and emotional readiness.

Hopefully, we have been able to take advantage of the summer to decompress, refocus our attention, and refresh our spirits. As the beginning of the fall semester approaches, we might spend some time reacquainting ourselves with the ideas, insights, and experiences we want to bring with us. We also might revisit and reevaluate key routines and rituals on which we have relied and adjust them to increase our efficiency, comfort, and effectiveness. Further, we might consider relationships we want to nurture and renew for companionship, support, and guidance in the coming months.

Fortunately, investing as little as one hour to engage in some reflection, personal renewal, and relationship management can give us a jumpstart. Consider the following three areas of focus using a 5-4-3-2-1 approach to guide your thinking and preparation. A detailed plan or to-do list may not be necessary, but you might want to jot a few notes as you reflect to revisit later.

Reflection

Reflect on your learning priorities by identifying:

• 5 things you tried with students that worked well.
• 4 strategies you want to try.
• 3 things you want to fix.
• 2 things you still want to learn.
• 1 misstep you want to avoid.

Renewal

Plan your mental and emotional health strategy by identifying:

• 5 daily routines that serve you well.
• 4 affirmations that will keep you grounded and focused.
• 3 commitments you need to make to remain well-balanced and healthy.
• 2 habits you want to develop.
• 1 habit you want to break.

Relationships

Consider who feeds your spirit and gives you energy by identifying:

• 5 people with whom you want to continue to connect.
• 4 people with whom you want to form a stronger relationship.
• 3 people with whom you want to explore a relationship.
• 2 people with whom you have a relationship that needs renewal or repair.
• 1 person you need to avoid.

We can easily become preoccupied by the long list of physical preparations associated with beginning a new school year. However, we also need to make mental and emotional preparations a priority if we hope to launch and enjoy a satisfying and successful year.

Summer is an opportune time to reflect on our professional profile. Reacquainting ourselves with our strengths and talents can be a source of renewed pride and cause for celebration. Revisiting areas that could use greater attention and more consistent focus can lead us to shift some priorities and make new commitments. And uncovering areas with potential for growth can lead to useful learning, new habits, and growing insight.

Our profession demands a wide array of abilities in response to a wide array of challenges that arise while we effectively engage students, colleagues, and others. Consequently, our reflection might be a list of behaviors and characteristics that are typically associated with high performance and universal effectiveness. While not necessarily all-encompassing, here is a list of nine “abilities” (including a few “-ibility” words modified for the purpose of this article) and related questions we can ask ourselves to start our reflection:

• Reli-ABILITY: Am I a “go-to” person when others want someone who will be certain a task or project is completed? Am I someone people turn to with a challenge or problem that needs attention? Can I be depended on to show up and follow through?
• Account-ABILITY: When something does not go as planned, do I take responsibility, or do I try to deflect, deny, or distract? Am I someone who, once I make a promise, follows through no matter what happens?
• Cred-ABILITY: Do I avoid exaggeration, pontification, and conjecture? Do people seek out my opinion and judgment? Do I continually build my professional knowledge base?
• Flex-ABILITY: How easily do I adjust to unexpected events, last-minute requests, and unanticipated expectations? Am I able to go with the flow, or do I become rigid and stressed in the face of change? Do I need advanced warnings, time to adjust, or someone to blame?
• Adapt-ABILITY: When conditions change, and I need to change in response, do I resist and press to keep things the way they were, or do I explore what I need to do to remain successful, then shift my approach or practice and continue to learn? Do I remain aware of trends and conditions that may make future adaptation necessary?
• Like-ABILITY: How well do I make positive first impressions and build deep and lasting relationships? Does it feel as though people want to be around me? Do I smile most of the time? Do I learn and remember people’s names? Do I give my full attention when people are speaking to me?
• Coach-ABILITY: How often do I seek constructive feedback? How well do I receive and act on the advice I receive? Can I set my ego aside when it is time to learn a new skill or practice a new approach?
• Inspir-ABILITY: (Yes, it is a real word.) What inspires me? How often am I inspired? When was the last time I experienced awe? How do I inspire others? How effectively do I share my enthusiasm and passion?
• Humor-ABILITY: (No, it is not a real word, but it should be.) How often do I see and share humor in my work with students and colleagues? Am I conscious of irony and absurdity in the situations I encounter? How often do I laugh with my students and colleagues?

If revisiting some of these “abilities” (reliability, accountability, credibility, flexibility, adaptability, likeability, coachability, inspirability, and "humorability") leaves us feeling uncomfortable or wondering if we need to shift, learn, or grow, now is great time to explore and commit to making change. Summertime may offer opportunities to practice, or we may start now to plan how we will make adjustments in the fall.

We typically think of teachable moments as serendipitous opportunities to insert new insights, leverage curiosity, or explore something our students want to understand. We know that teachable moments are special openings to support learning. They are times when students are ready—even eager—to learn more. These are times when we need to be aware and prepared to respond as opportunities emerge.

However, not all teachable moments have to be spontaneous; they do not necessarily have to be unpredictable opportunities that must be sensed and seized in the moment lest they be lost. We do not always have to wait for students to present teachable moments to us, either. We can “seed the clouds” with awareness, attention, and curiosity to increase the likelihood that teachable moments will fall into our hands.

Teachable moments we create can be the starting place for instruction, they can be the launching pads for student investigation, or they can set the stage for introducing a new unit or kicking off a project-based learning challenge. Here are six strategies we can tap to create interest-grabbing and curiosity-igniting teachable moments:

Partially reveal something new, interesting, or mysterious. We might provide just enough information to pique students’ interests. We can offer a short overview without sharing too much. We might invite students to speculate, question, and imagine. Having created a teachable moment, we can allow students to “light the path” to discovery as we respond strategically to their interest, curiosity, and growing understanding.

Challenge students to investigate and explore before you teach. We might present students with a problem to solve or challenge to attack before teaching a new skill or sharing information. The experience can stimulate students’ interest, tap their desire to succeed, and build anticipation for instruction. A teachable moment can emerge when we use the questions students generate during their preview to guide discussion and point the direction of our instruction.

Present multiple sides of a compelling issue or topic. We might introduce a topic, skill, or process by presenting it first with one approach, perspective, or process and then present the same thing from another perspective or approach. For example, we might introduce a mathematical problem and demonstrate two or three ways to solve it. We can explore with students the reasons why more than one approach might work. Subsequently, students might investigate and explore multiple approaches. We create a teachable moment when we help students to move beyond singular, linear thinking and procedures to focus on underlying concepts and principles.

Share a captivating story. A good story is almost impossible to resist. Stories can tap curiosity, stir emotions, and create engagement. Even students who may have little inherent interest in a topic can be stimulated to investigate and learn after hearing a relevant, relatable, and memorable story. The experience can become a teachable moment when we “seed” the story with key concepts, important connections, and intriguing information.

Create a surprising and memorable event. The unexpected can be a great ignitor of teachable moments. As examples, we might surprise students with the arrival of an unannounced visitor with a problem or mystery for the class to solve. We might unveil a picture that invites discussion or investigation. Depending on our skills, a relevant magic trick can also be a great way to stimulate a teachable moment.

Ask the right type of question. Some questions are simply intended to provide clarification or ensure understanding. These are important questions, but they may not be invitations to create a teachable moment. We can create a teachable moment by asking a question that examines a noticed misconception, reveals an important gap in understanding, or hints at a learning extension that invites an additional investigation or journey of discovery. A teachable moment offers even greater impact when students are given time and support to reflect, analyze, and investigate.

Teachable moments are precious opportunities to stimulate learning and build understanding. However, we do not always have to wait for students to present these special learning occasions. With thoughtful planning and good timing, teachable moments can play a frequent, powerful, and predictable role in the learning experiences we design.

Throughout the year, we have been bombarded with news, opinions, and advice regarding the presence, potential, and power of artificial intelligence (AI). With so much information swirling around us, it can be difficult to sort what is relevant and useful from what is just hype and noise. Yet, we know that AI is making an impact all around us, and we need to pay attention.

Now, with the summer ahead of us, we can take some time to absorb, reflect, and learn. It can be a challenge to know where to even begin. Because each of us is on our own journey and will have our own individual learning needs and levels of readiness, it will be helpful to consider what is most relevant in terms of our unique needs and potential uses. Here are six questions to guide reflection within your personal context with accompanying discussion to provide support for your journey.

A logical first question is, what steps do I need to take to expand my understanding of how AI can increase the efficiency of my work and effectiveness of my practice? AI is a potentially powerful tool to help us to manage much of the time-consuming work that has been part of our world forever. Lesson planning, correspondence, and brainstorming are just three examples. Further, AI offers access to a wide array of ideas, resources, activities, and perspectives that can enhance the learning we design for and with students. Innovative approaches, creative applications, and novel strategies to support learning can be part of our regular practice without us always having to spend hours developing them.

Second, we might ask what additional information and resources do I need to understand where and how can I use AI to add learning value for my students? This question is related to the first question, but it shifts the focus to how AI can add to the arsenal of learning skills students are developing. AI can add dimensions to their learning experiences that go beyond what we have been able to provide in the past. As examples, AI can position students to view world events from the perspectives of people from other cultures and regions. It can help students to understand and experience the value of what they are asked to learn in ways that extend far beyond what we might be able to provide without extensive research and planning.

A third reflection question is, what additional guidelines and safeguards do I need to put into place to ensure that my students are using AI appropriately and safely? As amazing as AI can be as a resource, it also can create important dilemmas, questions, and quandaries for learners. We need to think through what our students need to know about protecting their privacy and safety. We can examine with students crucial ethical issues regarding the use of AI. Further, we need to equip our students with the skills to be aware of and recognize bias and fabrication of information, and we need to prepare them with options and strategies to respond when they believe they are victims of inappropriate use of AI.

Fourth, how can I increase the engagement of parents as learning partners and supporters to help students use AI in safe and meaningful ways? Communication with parents is key to ensuring safe, ethical, and meaningful AI engagement. Parent engagement will likely be a key element in determining the level and nature of their support as students begin to utilize AI in more integrated, impactful, and extensive ways. Parents will want to know and be reassured that their children’s safety is being protected and that students are continuing to learn and develop skills beyond those necessary to use AI.

Fifth, how can I best support students’ utilization of AI to stimulate, build, and extend learning while avoiding potentially unfounded suspicions and accusations of plagiarism and other forms of cheating? Once introduced to the power of AI, students will want to utilize it—regardless of our approval. Our best choice is to teach students the proper ways in which to access AI to support their learning rather than to replace it. Students need to know how to cite AI sources, how to use AI to stimulate their ideas, and how to access important support AI can provide while not ignoring the importance of their own learning. Predictably, some students will attempt to shortcut their learning by relying on AI to provide the work product for which they are responsible. In response, we might be tempted to use commercially available tools to identify AI content, but caution is warranted as many of them have been shown to be unreliable. Striking a balance is key.

Finally, how am I using engagement with AI to help students to build their resilience, critical thinking, communication, and other durable skills they will need in a tech-driven world? Building the skills necessary to utilize AI is an important challenge for students. However, we also must give attention to the life and work skills students need to be successful in a world where relationships, sound judgement, decision making, problem solving, and other competencies remain crucial. In fact, the existence of AI in no way lessens the importance of these skills. On the contrary, AI arguably make these skills even more important and their application even more consequential.

Obviously, these are questions we can ask ourselves repeatedly as we learn and our experience and skills continue to evolve. It is reasonable to assume that AI will continue to grow and evolve, and our utilization of it will also need to be frequently reconsidered, reoriented, and renewed.

We hear a lot about the practices we should use to ensure learning for our students. Of course, we want our students to be successful and our instruction to make a positive impact. However, simply pulling a strategy “off the shelf” or defaulting to the most recently read article or staff development session topic may not generate the results we seek.  

Experienced educators know that generic approaches and widely hailed strategies do not necessarily work with all students, including ours. We often need a guide or process to sort among potential approaches and practices to find the learning experience we can design that will have the greatest positive impact on our students’ learning.  

Fortunately, we can follow a path to survey possibilities, evaluate options, and ultimately settle on the instructional practices that hold the greatest potential for our students. We might start broadly, then narrow our consideration based on our context, and finally, match the strategy or practice we consider with the specific needs and readiness of a group of students or even a single student.   

We can begin with a set of practices commonly known as best practices. Best practices are typically widely employed. They have been found to be effective by one or more credible research studies. They are considered consistent with dominant thought about learning and teaching, and they have generally been shown to work with many students in a variety of circumstances. However, student needs and learning readiness vary. A single best practice will not work with every student or in every context. For example, applying a best practice that has been shown to be effective with students who possess extensive background knowledge may not be even remotely effective with students who are unfamiliar with the content and concepts involved. Highly motivated students might respond to a certain best practice while more reluctant and distracted learners will not. We might think of best practices as a menu of options to consider, but we need to be cautious about blindly adopting a practice just because a specific research study, or even multiple studies, found them to be useful, or just because other educators are using it. 

A second set of practices and level of consideration might be thought of as promising practices. We can filter promising practices from best practices for the types of learners, learning challenges, and learning contexts within which they will work. Promising practices are good options when they have a solid base of credibility with the type of students we are teaching. However, even promising practices require our careful examination. They are more tailored than best practices, but they often still lack a key feature, in that they may not match the learning specific needs and readiness of our learners. Their utility still depends on matching what we know about our learners and our instructional and learning goals.  

This second level of sifting takes us to a third and even more powerful set of practices: effective practices. Effective practices go one step further to consider the learner. Best practices and promising practices become effective practices when they are matched to the learning readiness of the student or students with whom we are working. The nexus of learner and practice determines what will generate high-leverage learning.  

Of course, there are times when what has been considered best practice and even promising practice will not be what our students need and will not generate the learning we seek. These are times when we may need to reverse the process and ask ourselves—and even our students—what may work in this circumstance and then match, modify, or invent the approach that will create the most successful learning experience. We can still benefit from reviewing best practices and promising practices to ensure that we have considered a broad array of options, of course, but customization may be the key to finding success.   

Without question, best practices and promising practices deserve a place in our instructional design considerations. However, neither will guarantee success unless they match the needs and learning readiness of our unique students.  

Many schools have formal checklists for finishing the school year. These tasks are, appropriately, designed to ensure an orderly close-out to the year, and they are often heavily weighted toward logistical and procedural tasks. As examples, most end-of-year checklists include items such as putting away materials and equipment, completing maintenance and repair requests, and finishing any remaining storage and inventory tasks. Our completion of these and similar tasks will make it easier for maintenance, purchasing, and other staff to complete their work over the summer.

However, these are not the only important steps we need to consider as we wrap up another year. Often, there are things not yet said that should be said, steps not taken that need to be taken, and commitments not made that deserve our attention and action before we leave. They may not be on the formal checkout list, yet they can be even more important those tasks that are. Here are six steps that can make the summer better—and the fall worthy of anticipation.  

First, if you have a lingering conflict, disagreement, or other unfinished business, tend to it now. If you need to apologize or make things right with a colleague, student, parent, or other person, don’t leave it for later. We cannot know what the summer will bring. There may not be another opportunity, and carrying an unnecessary emotional burden can drain the very energy you need to be replenishing. 

Second, if there is someone you need to thank, someone whose support needs to be recognized, or appreciation that needs to be shared, do it now. What you have to say may be exactly what they need to hear. There may never be a time when what you have to say will mean more. The longer you wait, the less weight your words are likely to carry. 

Third, if you are part of a team, schedule time to meet before everyone scatters for the summer. Now is a good time to create an initial plan and list of priorities for next year’s work. Time spent sorting out logistical, alignment, and resource issues before you leave can relieve pressure in the fall and give everyone a head start on their thinking, planning, and arranging as they have time over the summer. If someone new will be joining the team, this also may be a good opportunity to get acquainted and begin building the new team. 

Fourth, consider what you will need immediately in the fall. As you put things away, be sure to place the items you will need first in easily remembered and easily accessed spaces. You might even make a list of a few things that you want to remember and attend to first and create a file or place the list in a desk drawer or other handy place. Having a few things ready when you return can ease some stress, save some time, and help you have a smoother re-entry when you return. 

Fifth, if you have not done so yet, finish your professional learning plans for the summer. Time will pass quickly once the school year fades into history. Committing, scheduling, and registering for professional learning events and activities now can ensure that they are not overlooked or forgotten. By making commitments now, vacations and other summer activities can be scheduled around the learning you want to gain.  

Finally, once this year has been “tied off,” it is time to refocus your attention on recharging your energy and rejuvenating your spirit. Returning in the fall with renewed passion and a fresh mindset is much easier to accomplish when time with family and friends, pursuing hobbies, or just engaging in activities that feed your soul has been a focus for the summer.  

The final days of the year, especially once students have departed, can be filled with mixed emotions. We may want to leave as soon as possible! However, we cannot afford to leave the year with unfinished business that can compromise our effectiveness, sap our energy, and add to our stress in the summer or fall.  

We might not think much about tapping our students’ brain chemicals to support learning. Yet, those chemicals play an important role and thus are worthy of our attention. Naturally produced by the brain, these chemicals serve a variety of purposes, from making us alert and keeping us safe to calming our nerves and helping us to feel pleasure.

Dopamine is one of these brain-produced chemicals, found in the pleasure and reward center of the brain. Consequently, it can play a particularly helpful role in learning. Specifically, researchers have found that dopamine can have a positive impact on learning in three ways.

First, dopamine increases motivation. Dopamine has the effect of increasing the desire to repeat behaviors that generate feelings of pleasure, accomplishment, and reward. Dopamine is the ultimate positive reinforcement, and, equally important, it can be tapped repeatedly without losing its impact. The more we experience dopamine, the more likely we are to seek it.

Second, dopamine increases engagement and lengthens attention spans. Consequently, it increases learning efficiency and leads to success with fewer unsuccessful attempts. Dopamine also increases spatial learning, helping us to feel a stronger sense of context and connections.

Third, dopamine improves memory. The sensation dopamine creates increases our ability to focus. It also improves working memory, a powerful driver of academic success. Further, dopamine aids in recollection of past events and experiences, thus extending recall of what has been learned.

The bottom line: Dopamine can be a powerful force for learning.

Of course, this is a time of the school year when we are often challenged to motivate our students to focus on learning and recall what they have learned. Finding ways to tap dopamine in the brains of our students can be a key to meeting this challenge. Here are six strategies to employ.

First, we can offer students opportunities to be creative, curious, and inventive. The arts can be a great vehicle for students to express themselves. Composing, drawing, painting, performing, and designing activities are excellent stimuli for dopamine. Dopamine flows in a context of imagination and discovery.

Second, we might design learning activities that involve teamwork. Dopamine can be activated when we engage in efforts and activities that extend beyond ourselves. We often find significance and pleasure in being a part of something larger than us. Activities such as collective problem solving, service projects, and project-based learning are good examples. Experiencing human interaction and peer recognition and feeling supported can be effective generators of dopamine.

Third, we might coach students to set goals, track their progress, and celebrate accomplishments. When students feel as though they are on the right path, maintaining focus, making progress, and reaching benchmarks, dopamine can be plentiful. In fact, when we teach this skill and habit to students, we equip them with a lifelong, autonomous way to access dopamine whenever they choose.

Fourth, we can provide positive feedback, encouragement, and reassurance. Our timely, specific, positive, and actionable feedback can provide a shot a dopamine for students, especially for students who may lack confidence, have a history of learning struggles, or be prone to giving up. Of course, our feedback needs to be connected to students’ actions rather than their abilities or characteristics. Students can control their actions, such as the strategies and effort they employ, but they cannot control their natural ability or physical characteristics.

Fifth, we can activate dopamine through games, fun, and humor. We might change up some routines or inject some fun where possible. As examples, we might shift the label for learning geometry proofs to something like, “What the Logic?” or relabeling quizzes to “Show What You Know.” Starting the day with a relevant but respectful joke can break the routine and stimulate a dose of dopamine. Even finding humor in unexpected happenings and distractions can create some dopamine flow.

Sixth, we might introduce new and exciting challenges. Simulations, investigations, and explorations can be great ways to create a rush of dopamine. The key is to position the experience to be challenging enough to require effort, but not so difficult as to feel beyond reach.

Finding ways to engage students, increase learning efficiency, and extend recall of what students learn can be a constant quest. Fortunately, designing activities and employing strategies that release the flow of dopamine in our students’ brains can help us to meet this challenge, especially now.

We are approaching the time of the school year when end-of-year activities are starting to occupy our planning and fill our to-do lists. In response, our anxiety may be growing. We might find ourselves wanting to create the perfect experiences, say the perfect things, and be the perfect teacher. However, striving too hard for perfection can work against our goals and take a toll on our emotional and physical well-being.  

Certainly, there are times when we absolutely must get everything right. These are occasions when the consequences of missteps can have significant life consequences. Typically, activities such as these are well-defined and depend on already established high levels of skill and significant practice.  

Fortunately, life does not exact dire consequences for most mistakes. Forgetting a detail, overlooking a task, or even saying the wrong thing is almost always fixable. In fact, in most situations we are the only ones to notice, or even care very much, that something had to be adjusted, redone, or added to a plan or activity.  

There is nothing wrong with wanting to do well, of course. Learning, seeking to improve, and setting high standards can be important contributors to success. However, when our expectations shift to constantly pressing to be perfect, pursuing unrealistic goals, being unwilling to take risks, and seeing mistakes as failure rather than as opportunities to learn and grow, our perfectionism becomes problematic. While seeking to perform at a level of excellence can absolutely be a good thing, preoccupation with avoiding failure can cause significant harm to the quality of our work, our feelings about ourselves, our personal and professional relationships, and even our health.  

Experts note that perfectionism is often a defense against emotional pain. Perfectionism can seem to keep us from feeling negative emotions. Unfortunately, it can also deprive us of experiencing many positive, life-enhancing feelings that should accompany the moments, accomplishments, and celebrations associated with the end of the school year.  

As we approach the busy, pressure-packed weeks that lie ahead, here are eight strategies to push back against the press for perfection: 

• Set realistic goals. We need to consider the time and energy we have available. Otherwise, we might plan and aspire to accomplish far more than is reasonable or even possible. Our attention needs to be on what matters most and what will make the greatest difference.  
• Focus on what you can control. We cannot predict much of what will happen in the weeks ahead, much less control it. We may need to modify our plans and adjust our approaches, but our flexibility is not evidence of inadequacy or failure. The most we can ask of ourselves is to attend to what we can control. 
• Pay attention to your emotions. Pressing for perfection often generates a familiar set of emotions; we can begin to feel anxious, experience dread, or be tempted to put off dealing with tasks and issues where we feel the press to be perfect. When that happens, we may be receiving a signal that it is time to reassess and create space to recalibrate. 
• Limit and replace negative self-talk. What we say to ourselves influences our attitude, our commitment, and our performance. Constant self-questioning and negative expectations can undermine our confidence while increasing the pressure we feel. We can “flip the script” by replacing negative internal conversations with affirmations, positive images, and optimistic expectations.  
• Embrace learning mistakes. Allowing ourselves to be in situations where we might make mistakes can be a good step toward countering pressure to be perfect. Making mistakes when trying new things, nudging ourselves beyond our comfort zones, and building new skills are evidence of growth and invitations to learn.  
• Don’t be distracted by today’s “big deal.” Our emotions can magnify our perceptions. We need to keep our experiences in perspective. We might remind ourselves that what seems like a big issue or significant disruption today is often left behind and forgotten in as little as a few days or a week.  
• Practice going with the flow. Not everything always has to be fully planned and tightly controlled. Allowing ourselves to be spontaneous, to move forward without a full plan, or to embrace surprise can be difficult at first, but it can also leave us feeling freer and more open to opportunity and growth. 
• Keep the big picture in view. The pressure we feel to be perfect can lead us to focus on narrow issues and overlook the larger context of our work. Seeking perfection in every detail can distract us from what really matters and result in our missing the pride and enjoyment of a full view of our contributions.  

Wanting to do well is a worthy aspiration, but perfectionism can be a constant source of stress. In the words of Brené Brown: “When perfectionism is driving us, shame is riding shotgun and fear is that annoying backseat driver.”