Lately, I’ve decided to battle the following (and all-too-common) scenario:
A student finishes an assignment and brings it to me, asking: “Is this good?”
What a dangerous question. It reveals a fear to take chances, an inability to judge, and a desire to do just enough to be done.
Time to retrain!
My favorite solution is to tackle this head on. I’d tell my class:
Friends, from now on, no one may ask me “Is this good?” because I think you’re really asking is, “Can I be done yet?” Instead, you may ask me, “Is this great?”
“Is this great?” reset expectations. We’re not aiming for “just good enough to be done”. We want excellence!
And, the funny thing is, no one ever asked me if their work was great. Because, well, you know if it’s great or if it’s merely good.
A simple and highly-recommended solution!