Today was an interesting day. I wanted to interview some students for our podcast, but they were both sick so I decided to interview a pair of 1st grade students. It is really interesting to think about the quote above as I listen back to the recordings of our conversations. They both were authentic conversations that show some rich interest in different topics. When I think about if I should release it or not, I keep coming back to the thought of we should share the real work, not the most amazing work.

How often do we share student work? How might we set up a culture so that students are open and willing to share their work, even if it’s not the most amazing?

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Starting this podcast has been an exciting adventure and when we release the work our students create without it being perfect or flawless, there’s quite a bit of power in that action. Our podcast is created by students to share student voices. Episode 1 has been released and students are currently working on Episode 2. The beauty of releasing work that is authentic shows the learning, not the perfectness of the work.

Imagine how your class culture might change if we honor and validate authentic student work, not flawless student work. We will get students striving to learn and create more because they know their work is valued.

Promote a culture of authenticity, disregard flawlessness.

Haiku of Authenticity