“Good Enough” Isn’t Good Enough

While cutting grass earlier this week, I knew that my goal was not to do the job well. I just wanted to get the job done well enough. Of course, I had my reasons for rushing. But the end result of my efforts amounted to failure. In many respects, the yard would have looked better had I left it unmowed than it did mowed without the trimming and other final touches having been completed.

Unfortunately, I see more and more students whose goal seems to be good enough instead of well done. After completing mediocre work, they are surprised when their minimal efforts result in a failing grade.

I would hate to sound as if I am going to break into a chorus from Bye Bye Birdie and begin singing “What’s the matter with kids today?…Why can’t they be like we were, perfect in every way.” Yet, I am concerned with a growing trend I see in some students who are willing to settle for good enough.

For example, last semester,

Approximately 20% of my students did not bother to organize their semester binders before submitting them for evaluation. Essentially, they decided that simply submitting the material was good enough and that I could take the time to organize the binders for them.

There was also a significant increase in the number of students who decided that if they e-mailed their homework to me that it should be my responsibility to print out their assignments for them. Several students were very upset with me because they were unable to participate in a class activity because I had not printed out and then delivered their homework to them at the beginning of class. They considered e-mailing their homework good enough even though they were required to have the homework for a class activity.

Another increasing trend was the number of students who skipped or came late to scheduled conferences. They assumed that their willingness to schedule another conference with me or the fact that they are willing to meet with me when they finally showed up should be good enough.

This past semester, between fifteen and twenty students failed courses I taught because “good enough” was not good enough. Even students who earned participation scores (made up of in-class work, homework, attending required conferences, and so forth) of less than 50% were shocked that they failed the course. I believe that most of these students actually were shocked; that they really believed that simply doing something–no matter how poorly–was good enough.

Although these students are high maintenance, I am actually pleased that they are enrolled in classes I teach. Because I am willing to work with students to turn errors in judgment into educational experiences, their mistakes need not be fatal; as they might be in another course, while interviewing for a job, or performing some other professional task. I routinely give students the opportunity–even after the class has been completed–to redeem themselves and to earn a passing grade.

Untimately, I hope that these students will begin to aim higher than mediocrity; that they will see how little extra effort is actually equired to move from the failure of good enough to the rewards of an accomplishment well done. Therefore, I am willing to spend a little extra time with them-even after the semester is over and I could technically refuse further contact.

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Steven L. Berg
Categories: Uncategorized

12 Responses

When “Good Enough” Is No Longer the Goal | Etene Sacca-vajjena says:

11 December 2013 at 8:52 pm

[…] “’Good Enough’ Isn’t Good Enough” which was published in May 2011, I identified an emerging problem of “more and more students […]

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Chris Gregg says:

16 May 2011 at 7:32 pm

Professor Berg,
As a life-long learner, a young professional and a devoute critical thinker, I cannot thank you enough for these sentiments. I see reverberations of this type of thinking in my life everyday, from acquaintances and co-workers to managers, bosses and “leaders.” I often wonder what the cause could be, I can only feel that some of this attitude could have begun with teachers who WOULD accept this type of work ethic and leave it unchecked. I am proud that I have the experience of studying under someone who will expect and accept nothing less than my personal best. I can only hope that my work can now speak for itself. Again, thank you. Your excellent perspective is truly appreciated.

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Steven Dolgin says:

13 May 2011 at 4:46 pm

Steve,
Thank you for this. It is important that those who teach articulate problems that many of us “feel,” yet have difficulty articulating.

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Beth Vonck says:

12 May 2011 at 10:16 am

Thanks for the opportunity to provide a very productive discussion with my class! The WINGS kids found this very interesting!

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WINGS 5/6 says:

12 May 2011 at 10:14 am

After reading your blog, our fifth and sixth grade class had an amazing discussion about your premise that students are doing only what is “good enough.” We feel that we agree with Rev. Smith that we, too, “want to believe that people are not only capable of doing their best efforts, but that THEY believe that about themselves, too.” Our discussion centered around self expectation and our personal definition of the term “good enough.” Some of us have higher expectations for ourselves than others and would be insulted that our “good enough” efforts were not appreciated. On the other hand, we realize that we can relate this to the phrase, “familiarity breeds contempt,” because the longer we are around a teacher/instructor the more familiar we become and the less effort we expend. We realize that what we are doing is not right and we know that we have to raise the personal bar and do what we know is right to meet our personal expectations for “good enough.”

We appreciate that this blog gave us the opportunity for self/class examination and we think that our contribution is “good enough!”

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- Steven L. Berg says:
  
  12 May 2011 at 9:20 pm
  
  Thank you for taking the time to share your discussion with me. I do agree that there are times when it is OK to do something good enough without being a failure. For example, the really poor maps I drew in class today were good enough for the lecture I was giving even though they were not well done.
  
  However, my concern is when anyone—myself included—settles for good enough instead of trying to do his or her best. For example, it is sad when someone decides to settle for a C grade even though they have the ability to earn a B or an A. But it is very exciting to watch students exceed the expectations they have set for themselves.
  
  Let me share a story with you about a good student I had last semester. He was such a good writer that he could have tossed together a final paper for which he would have earned an A without having to do any work for the last three weeks of the semester.
  
  I didn’t think that was good enough for him. Image being told that an A is not good enough! But I was more concerned with his education than his grade and I saw no need for him to waste three weeks of his semester.
  
  I challenged this student to take on a very difficult project that might have been too hard for him to successfully complete. He accepted the challenge and worked very, very hard the rest of the semester; much harder than many of the other students. Remember, he could have done practically nothing for three weeks of class and would still have earned an A.
  
  Although he was disappointed with his final paper, he had done his best with a very difficult assignment. Doing his best was good enough for me and what he learned was excellent. And he did earn his A.
  
  Because Mrs. Vonck is a dedicated teacher who cares about her students, she is not willing to see you accept low expectations for yourselves. Like me, she is not satisfied that you have done “good enough” unless you are at your best. Sometimes, when you have a teacher like Mrs. Vonck encouraging you, you find out that your best is better than you thought possible. It is at those times when education is the most exciting.
  
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- The Rev. David Grant Smith says:
  
  12 May 2011 at 11:32 pm
  
  I’m so glad to learn that 5th & 6th graders are taking on this topic for discussion and for self-reflection! It has been my own personal experience, and my experience of observing others, that by starting a self-discipline of expecting great things of one’s self early in life (and not settling for the least amount of effort to get by) will pave the way for great things.
  
  I know that when I was in 5th grade I had a math teacher who knew that I was only doing enough thinking about the material to get by, and that I wasn’t putting my whole self into the subject. She spent some time with me after school one day working with me on how to look at things a bit differently in math. To this day, I don’t remember the exact topic of our discussion. But to this day I remember that her message to me was that she (the trained professional) knew that I was capable of doing a better job. She helped me understand that if I start letting things slide by in a “good enough” attitude that I would ultimately only be hurting myself, and that I would begin building up a great deal of time being disappointed in myself.
  
  I’m grateful that someone saw that I was capable of doing better and cared enough for me to encourage me to do better. I’m also grateful that I listened to what she had to say, and began to believe good things about myself – this helped me see that challenges are not things to avoid, but that they are opportunities for me to find out what my absolute best efforts are. I may not always succeed at everything that I try to do, but when I always give something my very best efforts I always feel good about myself.
  
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  - Steven L. Berg says:
    
    13 May 2011 at 7:46 am
    
    It is great that the Reverend Smith had a fifth grade math teacher who expected great things from him. I know that I have benefited from people who have had faith in me. I also know that the parishioners in his congregation benefit both from his example and from his high expectations of them; much in the same way that Mrs. Vonck’s students benefit from her expectations of them and the example she sets in the classroom.
    
    During conferences at the beginning of last semester, I was complimenting a student on his insightful writing and the quality of his critical thinking skills. He told me that no one had every told him that he was smart. I thought that was sad. He really didn’t know that he was talented and could accomplish goals much higher than the ones he was setting for himself. After our conversation, he stopped settling for good enough and excelled during the rest of the semester.
    
    Reply
Sam Hays says:

12 May 2011 at 7:21 am

I would not use the terms “mediocrity” or “good enough” to describe your examples. They are examples of “poor” performances.

I would term “good enough” the way I balance my check book. I look at my account online a few times a week, and if all looks well, I am satisfied. If some entry looks unfamiliar, which happens once or twice a year, I investigate. I never balance my checkbook. That is “well enough” for me but would be “poor” to someone else.

As you may have noticed, I have blended “good enough” and “well enough.”

Right now I am arguing with a student over “good enough.” She used repeatedly “i” in an assignment for first person singular pronoun. She argues that this is a rough draft and that she has paid for the course, so this is “good enough.” I argue that it is “poor” and leave in her gradebook a zero. We have different interpretations.

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The Rev. David Grant Smith says:

11 May 2011 at 10:11 pm

One of the things that concerns me about the “good enough” approach that is increasingly present in students is that it is also becoming increasingly the “modus operandi” in every day life. There is a temptation on my part to expect that when I’m in a restaurant, store, or business, and am paying for a service or product, to demand the best possible outcome of that for which I am spending my money. And that would be true, if not a bit self-serving (and perhaps arrogant). But, in truth, it concerns me on a spiritual and interpersonal level more than in an economic sense. In a world where “good enough” has become the mantra of the populace, not only are we being underserved, but we are becoming less and less of a culture/society in which we believe that people (often ourselves) are capable of quality work, worthwhile efforts, and putting forth our best selves. On the level of self-esteem and self-worth, this is a sad state of affairs because when “good enough” becomes the standard, we as a species begin to think less of our own personal (and corporate) abilities. This saddens me to see this happening to people in so many ways, above and beyond the frustration I experience when I feel that I am being underserved by someone with a “good enough” attitude. I want to believe that people are not only capable of doing their best efforts, but that THEY believe that about themselves, too.

Mine is a profession in which I am called upon to encourage people to put forth their best selves, much like what you do as an educator, Steve. You are in the position to be able to offer feedback that will help people see how “good enough” won’t serve them well in life. But I’m in the position of challenging people to put forth their best efforts for the benefit of others, and in the context of being good stewards of all the God-given gifts which lie within us. May be both find courage to do our best in that encouragement, never settling for “good enough” in our work to help bring forth from everyone the best which lies deep within them – for their own good, as well as the good of others.

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- The Rev. David Grant Smith says:
  
  11 May 2011 at 10:14 pm
  
  Oops! Final sentence should begin with “May we both…” not “May be both…”
  
  Reply