[00:00:20] Brittany: welcome to the Teaching Toolbox Podcast. I'm Brittany, and I'm here with my co-host, Ellie.

[00:00:27] Ellie: Hello.

[00:00:28] Brittany: Raise your hand if you've ever scrapped an entire lesson because it wasn't good enough, or you stayed at school until dinner or later tweaking slides in a way that no one will ever notice. Yeah, we see you. We are you.

[00:00:49] Ellie: my hand was up. Middle school teachers are among the hardest working and most creative educators, but we also carry a significant amount of pressure to get everything right. Whether it's classroom management, bulletin boards, emails, or every single worksheet, many of us hold ourselves to wild standards.

[00:01:08] Brittany: Today we're unpacking how perfectionism shows up in our work, what it costs us, and how to aim for purposeful progress instead of polished perfection because your students don't need perfect, they need present.

[00:01:28] Ellie: Let's be honest. Perfectionism in teaching doesn't always look like perfection. Sometimes it looks like procrastination, burnout, or even imposter syndrome. It can look like spending hours on the perfect lesson plan, even when a solid one would do just fine. Or obsessing over student outcomes and internalizing every behavior or test score.

[00:01:51] Maybe comparing your classroom or materials to others in your building, on Instagram, Pinterest, or teachers pay teachers and feeling like you don't measure up. It could look like avoiding new instructional strategies because you can't guarantee success the first time, or it could feel like feeling like you can't rest until everything is done and done flawlessly.

[00:02:14] It could be hemming and hawing over the perfect report card or writing assessment comment, or not completing things because you're worried they won't be good enough.

[00:02:24] Brittany: And the truth is, perfectionism can lead to exhaustion, decision fatigue, and resentment. It keeps us stuck in a cycle of not good enough, even when we're giving it everything we've got.

[00:02:42] Ellie: Hmm.

[00:02:43] Brittany: Middle school is this weird, wonderful, chaotic stage where we're expected to be everything. A subject matter expert, a mentor, a social emotional coach, a nurse, a behavior manager, and sometimes even a parent.

[00:03:01] Ellie: Absolutely. And the stakes feel high. We're teaching kids at a critical turning point academically and emotionally, so of course we wanna get it right. You know, and add to that high visibility like admins are walking through, parent emails, and students all giving us real time and potentially unfiltered feedback.

[00:03:23] We might have constant curriculum changes or expectations about data, test scores, and SEL. And then there's the teacher comparison culture, whether online or down the hall. It can make it feel like we have to do everything and do it better.

[00:03:41] Brittany: But perfection isn't sustainable. What's sustainable is knowing your purpose and choosing to prioritize the things that actually move the needle for your students and yourself.

[00:03:53] Ellie: Hmm. So what can we actually do? Here are a few mindset shifts and habits we've tried and are still working on ourselves to help break out of perfectionism. First off, adopt a progress over polished mantra. Ask yourself, does this need to be perfect or does it need to be done? Not that you should do a bad job, you just don't need the extra perfecting time that you sometimes spend on it.

[00:04:21] You can set time limits for planning or grading sessions and stick to them. Good enough, really is good enough. Don't spend an hour trying to think about that comment. Do a comment quickly, get it done. Give yourself a time limit. Keep a successes folder, emails, notes, or wins to remind yourself that impact is more important than aesthetics.

[00:04:42] You need to get comfortable with imperfect implementation. Try new things without expecting mastery right away, like student led discussions or new tech tools. Reflect after, instead of agonizing before. Talk openly with students about trying something new and getting their feedback. It models healthy risk taking. And use beta mode language.

[00:05:06] This is version one. We'll improve it together. You can also set boundaries around what matters. Pick just one to two things each week to really focus on. Let the rest be B minus or B level, or even C level work. I heard a podcast once that talked about like b minus work. You know, it was hard for me to think about doing B minus work instead of a work.

[00:05:30] Yeah. But that's something that you might need to do. One or two things each week. Focus on that. Make it B level, or C level. Ask yourself, is this for the students or is this about how I'll be perceived? If it's about how you'll be perceived, then that might be a signal to reevaluate what you're working on or the level at which you're working on it.

[00:05:50] Accept that rest is productive, show up, well rested and present instead of perfect and depleted.

[00:06:00] Brittany: Yes, definitely. And here's a permission slip. Your classroom will still be meaningful, safe, and effective, even if your anchor charts are uneven, and you skip the adorable lesson, intro video.

[00:06:15] Ellie: I do have to say that when it comes to anchor charts, I was definitely not perfect. I'd never look like Pinterest ones. But perfection is not the standard. Connection is . Purpose is. Consistency is. That's what middle schoolers will remember.

[00:06:30] Brittany: Like I said, a couple episodes back, I tended to get the kids who had a lot of behavior issues and I just two weeks ago connected with three different students, two of which were some behavior issues, that I had in my classes 20 and 25 years ago, so long ago. And we each shared a meal together and talked about the past and what they're up to now, and not a single one brought up any content

[00:07:03] we covered, anything that was perfect or imperfect or, um, only one brought up a simulation that we did in a class. But instead we talked about the friendships they had, the fun things we did in the classroom, how much they enjoyed sixth grade, and how much fun they had, and how safe they felt in my room.

[00:07:26] It was the connections that we made, not the content. It was the purpose, not the perfection that they had remembered.

[00:07:35] Ellie: That's wonderful. That must have been so special.

[00:07:38] Brittany: It made my heart swell.

[00:07:39] Ellie: Yeah. Aw, that's awesome. So letting go of perfection doesn't mean letting go of excellence. It just means recognizing that excellence does not require burnout, comparison, or control.

[00:07:53] Brittany: Your middle schoolers need your energy and creativity, not your perfect font or your flawlessly laminated task cards. They need you. Not your highlight reel.

[00:08:05] Ellie: So tell us, what's one thing you're giving yourself permission to do imperfectly this week? Or what's one mindset shift you're working on?

[00:08:15] Brittany: Let us know on IG or Facebook or leave us a review. You know, we'd love it.

[00:08:22] Have a great day.

[00:08:23] Ellie: Bye.