I’ve Stopped Grading Students but not Myself

And I’m not alone

Image from Wikipedia Commons

Last night…

I’m attending my undergraduate college and know I have two courses to complete.

Do you have a dream like this? You must finish something or can’t find something.

I’ve had this dream 100s of times. Last night, something was different.

I received a grade plus sheets of paper, different sizes, clipped together, with comments, and a number. I could not read the comments but the grade was clear and stark.

79/100. In America, that is a C+. A passing but average grade. Maybe below average today.

But there was no number for the one class I had to complete. Inside my dream, I hoped but knew the number wouldn’t be there.

I’ve stopped grading students but can’t stop grading myself. And I’m not alone.

Mickey Mantle* dreamt he couldn’t find Yankee Stadium. 536 home runs were not good enough.

Image from Wikipedia Commons

Even The Mick didn’t couldn’t stop judging himself. Maybe The Babe didn’t either.

Why do we need perfection? Completion?

Why isn’t good enough

Good enough.

____________________________________________________________________

*From Jane Leavy’s The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America’s Childhood.

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