For over 30 years international school leaders, teachers, and counselors have come together for PTC professional learning experiences. Each day of every program begins with a “pearl of wisdom,” a “nugget of knowledge,” or a “gem of inspiration” from one of the participants. We are delighted to offer our readers around the world these powerful stories, insights, and strategies, all dedicated to our shared mission of ever more and better learning for our children.
In this Pearl, Kathryn shares a personal experience where she discovered that it's impossible to be the perfect person that we sometimes wish we could present ourselves to be, and there are lots of good things to learn from making mistakes. She explains:
The plop: The mistake.
The pink: An adequate color to represent her face after the mistake and the feelings of embarrassment and guilt that followed.
She says, “From the terrible error of the plop and the process of the pink,” she had several epiphanies and discovered a number of possibilities that she felt could be applied to other situations.
The possibilities: Take ownership of your mistakes. Show vulnerability as a leader. Look to others or help and advice. Know that it’s okay to struggle with your own emotions. Show empathy when things don’t go well for others. Allow yourself to feel the empathy of your staff.
Professional positions cited were the ones held at the time of recording. The positions and schools of those quoted may have since changed.
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Kathryn Rymarz is the Head of lower school at Newton College.
