Recently, I learned about Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by filling in the cracks or broken areas with a precious metal. As an art form, it creates beautiful pieces of pottery. As a philosophy, it teaches us that breakage and repair are part of our journey. Cracks, chips, and breaks are things to be celebrated and add beauty and character to the pottery. In the same way, our struggles, fails, and setbacks in life add to our character and if we look through the correct lens, adds beauty to our lives as well.
As educators, it can be easy to fall into the trap of trying to be perfect for our students, our supervisors, and our community. Perfection is a myth and the truth is that students don’t want a perfect teacher. They want a teacher who is kind, who is patient, and who is fun! Those teachers have learned from their own mistakes and have turned their flaws into a way to help others. I don’t want teachers who never make mistakes, I want teachers who take risks, learn from their mistakes and are always willing to learn more. Hopefully, they want the same from me, because that is what I strive to do each day.
In a world where we share perfection on social media and do our best to hide our flaws, the art of Kintsugi is a good reminder that the real beauty lies in our character. That character is often formed through our hardships and the times when we feel broken. Fill in those cracks with the lacquer of optimism, forgiveness, and hope and you will have something beautiful to share with the world!
Japanese Proverbs
“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”
“He who runs after two rabbits will catch neither.”
Fall seven times, stand up eight.”
- Monday, October 21: Celebrate Monday Assembly 9:05 AM
- Tuesday, October 22: Achievement Team 8:15 AM (Trantham)
- Wednesday, October 23: Elementary Principals Meeting 1:00-4:30 PM
- Thursday, October 24: Staff Meeting 8:05 AM, Picture Retakes in East Commons
- Friday, October 25: BOO BASH 6:00-8:00 PM
- Monday, October 28: Students of the Month Assembly (RESPECT) 9:05 AM
- Tuesday, October 29: REED (Mcguigan) 8:15 AM
- Thursday, October 31: Halloween Parade(Kindergarten)11:15 AM,(1st-4th)2:45 PM
- Tuesday, November 5: No Students, Building PD in AM/District PD in PM
The Spark of Learning 