Do you want excellence? Focus on details

Excellence starts with the idea of focusing on details. Whenever you enter a classroom, you have some expectations from the class. Unfocused big ideas may motivate students; however, you cannot sustain the vigour beyond a class. It also causes confusion that leads to poor performance in the end.

Focusing on details can be taught with more clarity. Giving students a grand idea (“Living a life of discipline leads to contentment.”) may have a little impact on them unless you make it experiential for them. Tell them not to waste time chatting too much during lunch; ask them to wipe the board at the end of the class to prepare for the next class; and tell them to align the benches properly at all times. Students can now make sense of your statement.

A quote of Mr. John Wooden, a famous college basketball coach, shed light on the importance of focusing on details. In his quote, he revealed, “I demonstrated how I wanted players to put on their socks each and every time. Carefully roll the socks down over the toes, ball of the foot, arch, and around the heel, then pull the sock up snug so there will be no wrinkles of any kind. I would then have the players carefully check with their fingers for any folds or creases in the sock, starting at the toes and sliding the hand along the side of and under the foot, smoothing the sock out as the fingers passed over it. I paid special attention to the heel because that is where wrinkles are most likely. I would watch as the player smoothed the sock under and along the heel. I wanted it done conscientiously, not quickly or casually. I wanted absolutely no folds, wrinkles, or creases of any kind on the sock.”

So, being a teacher, stop telling your students what your hopes for them are. Instead, start teaching them the nitty-gritty of how to focus on details.

Image Credit: freedigitalphotos.net