So many times we have this idea that a published piece of writing is a completely perfect and finished piece. Or for that matter, a math test is the finished piece of learning or a running record, whatever it may be.
Over the weekend I read a quote from Leonardo da Vinci,
“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
I just love this quote so much and I believe that we need to start shifting to this mindset in the classroom. We understand that learning can be placed on a continuum where there is always room for improvement and always more to learn no matter where you fall. Why should any work that students finish be considered complete? Its ok if they spelled a word wrong or missed punctuation in their final draft. Now you know what to focus on next. It is ok if while they’re reading they are reading choppily or so fast you can’t keep up. That should inform your next teaching moves. It is ok if in math class they add 7+8 to be 14. Now you know what they are missing.
There is value in mistakes. There is value in not having everything tied up perfectly with a bow.
Too often in education, we want to package learning or growth or finished pieces up into a perfect little package but that just isn’t the way learning works. Learning is never finished… and hopefully not abandoned either.
Happy Sunday! What do you have planned for the week ahead? How will you try to value all the imperfect little pieces of your learning environment?
