Practice Makes Better

I have often used the phrase, "Everything I need to know I learn from Facebook." While a bit of a play on "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten," I really can learn quite a lot from quick scrolls through my news-feed a couple of times each day.

Sometimes I learn of a challenge a friend is going through so I can offer support. 

Sometimes I learn of a great accomplishment and can share in the pride.

Once in a while, though, there's a true gem:

An amazing young adult that I have been fortunate to get to know through my time spent at camp posted that she overheard a mother tell her young daughter, "Practice makes better." So struck by this as she herself was raised on the mantra of, "Practice makes perfect," she approached the mother and shared how impressed she was to hear this being taught. The story gets better (Right? Because this isn't already awesome enough?!?). The mother explained that it was the daughter who taught the phrase to her. 

How many times have you said, "Practice makes perfect" to yourself, to your children, or to your students? Is perfect really what anyone is working toward? Is this a realistic expectation? What is perfect, anyway?

Perfection is arbitrary. 

Nothing is perfect. 

No one is perfect (better yet, everyone is perfect.) 

Why teach our children to strive for something that can never be achieved? Why hope for it ourselves?

Practice makes better. 

So simple. So logical. So much more meaningful. Practice makes better.

And what a powerful model for inclusion. We can grow. We can improve. We can do more. Practice makes better.


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