Don't we all make mistakes? I mean, is it an epiphany that people aren't perfect? Did someone finally send out a tweet or a Facebook update notifying the world that people aren't perfect? Why is it so hard sometimes to admit to mistakes? This is a pet peeve of mine. We all make mistakes and we always have. Making mistakes is part of the learning process. But when it comes to leaders in education, some feel they are to be immune from messing up. I'm thinking of the teacher who makes an error on grading a test, but is bent on being right — even though there is documented proof that the teacher is wrong, the heels dig in and the teacher fights to the death. This includes the leader who misspeaks, misappropriates or misunderstands and dies on the hill of trying to be right. Robert Kennedy said, "Hang a lantern on your problems." The idea behind the quote is that if you make a mistake, admit it, deal with it and move on. Trying to disprove the obvious will become difficult. I think teachers struggle with this because they feel — unnecessarily so — that they have to be perfect for the sake of their students. Teachers, especially elementary teachers, can be somewhat "rock star-ish" when they are spotted in a grocery store or a restaurant by one of their students. I remember being told as a child, "The teacher is always right." In fact, if it came down to the teacher versus me, my traitorous parents always joined the teacher's side. In reality, I think students, members of a church and followers in general find something comfortable in knowing their teacher, pastor or supervisor is human as well. When they see the big guy or boss mess up and then own it in the appropriate way, then they the student, employee, etc. can feel comfortable owning their mistakes. I know I feel better about my golf game when I see Tiger Woods put a ball in the water. We learn from mistakes, and we grow based on how we handle them. Authenticity doesn't look for perfection. It looks for real people doing real things and, many times, imperfectly.