I told my student he is perfect... and I've been thinking about it ever since.
It was about 2 weeks ago and I was filling in for a social studies class where students were asked to complete worksheets (to the best of their ability) on building their self esteem and comparing their "inner" selves with their "outer" selves.
A couple of boys in the class were obviously not impressed and were making light of the situation, joking around and distracting others. One of the boys was being particularly disruptive and kept asking for my attention.
I had decided to open the class with a discussion on what an "inner" and "outer" self means to us. This sparked some good commentary and gave the students some ideas of what they could write about... So looking over at what this boy had written, I saw that he seemed to think the only thing that was positive about him was that he was funny.
He lifted up his hand and joked, "Miss Thomas, my friend here shouldn't have to fill out this worksheet because he is already perfect."
My immediate response was "You're absolutely right. He is perfect and you are perfect and every person in this room is perfect, but perfection is not stagnant. It is always changing, just like you are. And since you are perfect, you have everything you need to make sure that you are changing the way you want to."
He looked a little shocked, "Wow miss, that's really deep."
I laughed, "Of course, you're asking me about what I think. But you're right, you are both perfect because there is nothing wrong with you and you have everything you need to achieve your goals. The hard part is deciding what those goals are and how you can stick to them. This worksheet can at least help you do that."
The two boys nodded solemnly and worked the rest of the period, needing only a few pointers about how they could answer the self-shattering questions that exposed them to their own vulnerability.
What a task for a supply teacher.