Postcard from the Edge

The anaesthetic of measurement

“First, the only reason for carrying out evaluation activities as outlined is to become a most efficient professional. If the evaluation activities of the teacher do not make her effective as a teacher, then they are a waste of time. Secondly, and just as important, it is timely to remember that 'weighing a pig doesn't fatten it'. The evaluation role is a weighing role. Essentially, teaching is a fattening activity in terms of the analogy.” (my emphases)

Source: Housecraft, volume 51 (1978)

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

I suspect the difference between being efficient and being effective is learning, which involves making mistakes. Why, then, have we found ourselves with work cultures that workshop efficiency but criminalise mistakes?

The quote above crept out at me when I was Doogling (my term for doodling on Google). I love the simple observation that teaching is a fattening activity and comparing it to the idea of lean processes.

It seems to capture our obsession with measurement as an anaesthetic that shields us from observing, experimenting, and thinking.

The people I admire step into uncertainty armed with a hypothesis and the courage, determination, and curiosity to test it by making mistakes.

They are the teachers we need.