Why we should aim for perfection | Teacher Network Blog | Guardian Professional

Why we should aim for perfection | Teacher Network Blog | Guardian Professional:

Every teacher can be outstanding but it takes a huge amount of belief and hard graft says David Diddau

If Ofsted Chief Sir Michael Wilshaw was lurking in the corner of your classroom how would you feel? Our blogger is convinced every teacher can be an outstanding teacher if they believe in themselves and put in the work. Photograph: Andrew Fox

Is there such a thing as the perfect lesson or the perfect teacher? Well, no, probably not. At least, not that I'm aware of. There is no silver bullet that can turn us into amazing teachers overnight; being outstanding is not, I think, a matter of charismatic delivery. It's about hard work and effort. It's about thorough planning based on sound assessment for learning. And it's about consistently being there and having high expectations of and belief in the kids in front of you.

I consider myself to be a good teacher who is capable of delivering an outstanding lesson with a fair trailing wind and if I've had a good night's sleep.

Like me, you've probably taught some shoddy lessons along the way of which you were immediately and rightly ashamed. The temptation is to nail these horrors into lead-lined coffins and bury them in twisted graveyards of memory. But there's gold in them thar hills.