Excellence
"Excellence is giving your best to any task you do or any relationship you have… Excellence is effort guided by noble purpose. It is a desire for perfection. The perfection of a seed is the fruit which grows from it. Excellence in your life is bringing your gifts to fruition."
-excerpts from the Virtues cards with permission from The Virtues Project™
My heart and voice shouted YES! when I read the first lines of Parker Palmer's fabulous book, The Courage to Teach. Parker says,
"I am a teacher at heart, and there are moments in the classroom when I can hardly hold the joy. When my students and I discover the uncharted territory to explore, when the pathway out of the thicket opens up before us… then teaching is the finest work I know."
On this 14th day of June, when the days of the school year are winding down, this Virtues Moment is dedicated to all of the teachers, those dedicated, loving souls who have worked purposefully, enthusiastically and patiently to encourage their students to strive for excellence.
With careful planning, creativity and always some risk-taking, the magic of excellence can happen in teaching. Teaching is such a blend of heart, soul and mind. It's a balancing act, an art rather than a science. When everything works, it's sheer joy, and when it doesn't, it's full of self-recriminations.
Right now, let's focus on the excellence, not the lack. We can see our teaching as effort guided by noble purpose. Sometimes teachers see the fruits of our efforts, but often, we don't see the fruits, except in small ways: the child who shows kindness to another student, the smile of recognition when the student knows she has discovered a new idea. Then we must trust that our efforts are enough, that the work we have done will result in many fruits, even if we don't see them.
Questions for reflection:
How have I developed my own gifts?
How do I keep my desire for excellence from becoming perfectionism?
What will I do to acknowledge my own excellence?
Take time today to acknowledge your excellence.
The Virtues Project™ strategies help children, youth and adults develop excellence and other virtues.