Just wanted to share my thoughts with you…keep on…keeping on!

We all know the saying it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. And everyone knows that, but I think there is a corollary: If everyone is trying to prevent error, it screws things up. It’s better to fix problems than to prevent them. And the natural tendency for managers is to try and prevent error and overplan things.”
— Ed Catmull, President of Pixar

How does this resonate with me? I live in the land of “do it now ask for forgiveness later.” I feel that this is out of necessity simply because if I don’t get the ball rolling, then nothing will ever happen. When thinking about it’s better to fix problems then to prevent them, I would agree; however, there can never be a “problem” if people are to afraid to take a risk and get things in motion. Let me pose this question, would you rather work with “bright, willful, ornery goats-or dumb, obedient, docile, plodding sheep”? (Barth, 2001) According to Barth he believes the education profession “is repelling many of the goats, who, though they have a stomach for tin cans, have little appetite for mindless compliance with the heavy-handed ‘tougher’ standards. And we are attracting many sheep who can and will comply, but with little distinction.”

I think this goes back to trying to prevent errors ~vs.~ fixing problems. Those old goats may create problems for fixing and granting forgiveness may end up being part of the solution; but, at least they are willing to try new and innovative ideas. The sheep on the other hand, well they will be happy to comply with whatever is laid before them, not willing to take a risk, therefore in and of itself creating a problem.

You should check-out Learning by Heart -Roland S. Barth 2001

I love this quote from the book as well:
“If it’s true that character is what you do when no one is looking, then learning is what you do when you’re not graded for it.”

~PEACE~
Mrs.Carla Berryman
4th grade teacher
St. Paul Catholic School
San Antonio, TX