Making Waffles
Those delicious little discs of imperfection
I'm not certain how the concept of The First Waffle initially came into my life, but it recently resurfaced, courtesy of the Life Design Lab folks. I'll make the safe assumption that they are also to thank for initially introducing me to the metaphor. At their retreat I attended in May, they acknowledged that this inaugural experience was a "first waffle." Then, a couple of weeks ago, as a coach at the virtual training for educators, I heard it again as the facilitators encouraged participants to remember that the lesson plan they were developing was a "first waffle."
So, what is this first waffle thing, you might be asking? And is there a point other than to make me suddenly crave breakfast?
The idea behind the metaphor is that the first waffle you make is rarely the best. You add too much or too little batter; it runs out the sides of the waffle iron or isn't perfectly round or square. Perhaps the waffle iron is too hot or not hot enough, leaving the final product over or undercooked. The point is, most of us would not be so frustrated by this first attempt that we would decide the whole endeavor was worthless and throw the rest of the batter out in abject disappointment. It's just waffles! We would adjust whatever needs adjusting: more/less batter, more/less heat, more/less time, and then the second, third, and fourth waffles all turn out better thanks to what we learned from the first.
Obviously, this is a metaphor about perfectionism and not letting perfect be the enemy of progress. It also aligns well with the idea of prototyping things—jumping in and trying activities with the purpose of getting data and adjusting for future iterations.
But there are a couple of other elements of the "first waffle" metaphor that I think are helpful.
In a quick search to see if I could determine the origin of this metaphor, I ran across several versions of it that talk about throwing out that first attempt before going on to make the next one. This was interesting to me because it wasn't how I'd thought of it at all. In my house, we typically determine that the first attempt is generally good enough to throw some butter and chocolate chips (or you know, syrup—if that's your thing) on and eat. I prefer this version because it acknowledges that things can be delicious and useful without being anywhere near perfect.
The other thing I love about this metaphor is that it's hard to think about waffles and not smile. It's just fun. It begs the question, is there a way to bring a little bit of play into this new thing I'm trying out? Is it possible to take it a little less seriously? Perhaps even allow it to be fun.
Let's make first waffles today, okay?
They won't be perfect, but they'll still be delicious.
Community Conversations
I loved these two posts from
: What Do You Do All Summer? and How Do You Do It All Year?. If you're a teacher, you will surely relate! I'm also always fascinated and inspired by how people carve out time for all the pieces of who they are.Here's another great metaphor: Scoot Bike Pedagogy.
continues his thoughtful examination of AI in education with this great metaphor about the foundations of learning. (I would also be remiss if I didn't mention that there is a squirrel picture at the very end of the post.)And on the subject of "first waffles",
shares what it was like to write her first short story—I love her reflections on growth mindset and the importance of community!Mindful Moment
This watercolor book looks SO fun (thanks to Christina Dick for sharing on Instagram):
Squirrel of the Week
This one was texted to me by a friend who works at the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Obviously, I approve of the choice of cover photo for this pocket guide:
I'd love to hear about your first waffles! What delicious things are you trying? What are you learning along the way? Also, toppings: syrup, whipped cream, chocolate chips—what's on your waffle?
This whole "first waffles" thing was EXACTLY what I needed to read today! I find myself with a whole lot of free time today, a very rare and very precious occurrence, and I had high hopes for the hours: work on my manuscript, get started on some lesson plans for next year--relatively big, time-consuming, intellectual things like that. But here it is, almost 4pm, and I have yet to do either. Why? Because I felt paralyzed all day by the enormity of both goals...because I felt like they had to be DONE and PERFECT or it wasn't worth my time. But now, I'm walking away to make a first waffle or two...
(And thanks for the shout-out! I, too, always feel amazed at the various hats we all manage to fit in our closets and, somehow, also on our heads.)