At about the midpoint of the last semester, a student enrolled in one of my classes stopped by my office. After a few minutes of small talk, she said, “I’m really stressed right now because I’m failing your class.” After suggesting there must be some mistake, I checked the gradebook and confirmed that her average was a B. Then it dawned on me that, to her, B-level work was the equivalent of failing. Perfectionism can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, striving for exce

My favorite game when I was a young child was Candy Land. I’m told that I had a habit of cheating to ensure my gingerbread man was the...