The Biggest Losers...

Because of my almost pathological dislike of commercials, and the power afforded by a good remote, I spend much of the little bit I watch television flipping through channels catching snippets of various shows. The other night my kids and I were watching one of their programs, and during the commercial I flipped to the show "The Biggest Loser". Having seen little bits of the show before we were all familiar, but this time became interested and watched for probably twenty minutes. In fact when I tried to turn away from it, all my kids yelled for me to switch back. I asked "why", and my youngest said "Because they're all trying so hard".

It's compelling to watch people try hard, especially when they've overcome odds. The Olympics are coming up, and America's favorite stories are of the underdogs who have overcome great odds to succeed. We love the underdog, even when they've created their own hole (maybe especially then...).

I talked with my kids about the show, and my youngest asked how the contestants became so obese. I told her that some of them probably got into some unhealthy eating habits, didn't exercise, or maybe had health conditions or other problems that led to their overeating. She said "I bet they hated gym. I love gym, but the fat kids hate it."

I asked her why she thought some kids hated gym, and she replied, "Because they aren't good at it." One of my other kids chimed in, "That's why I hate math." Out of the mouths of babes...

It's human nature that we spend more time doing things that we are good at than at things that are difficult. In schools, part of our challenge is to help students overcome their anxiety over working outside comfort zones. Too often we accommodate a student who is unwilling or incapable of working outside a comfortable area.

I have had parents of straight "A" students come to me to tell me that their child is receiving a "B" or "C" in physical education and that grade is ruining their g.p.a. The request is often to remove a student from P.E., waive the requirement, or look for a personal curriculum that will avoid the class. There is public and even educational sympathy for this position. However, the athletically, musically, or artistically gifted student who struggles in math is told to "suck it up" because math is such an important life skill. Schools fail when we fail to educate the "whole" student. Valuing education in one area over another is dangerous.

Renaissance education focused on physical education, and education in the arts as being as important (sometimes more so) as education in reading and mathematics. As states and our nation consider educational reform, or slash school budgets in response to growing financial concern, I worry about the loss of courses in the visual and performing arts, and in physical education.

The biggest losers in some of the budget cuts on the horizon for schools stand to be students who do not get the same kind of "whole" student education our schools have emphasized over time. The responsibility is on educators, parents, school boards and legislators to see to it that we not only turn out a generation of creative problem solvers, but a generation who is healthy in mind, body and spirit.

Quotable...

As a teacher I put "quotes of the week" up on my board each week (or at least when I remembered to...). As a coach I used to give players a note with a quote that was specific to them or our team for inspirational purposes. I often include quotes in staff newsletters, and notes to parents and students, and have books of well-known quotations in my office. Over the years, I have often relied on some of these words to get through tough times, or to help others through tough times.

My wife and I were shopping recently when she came across this Mark Twain quote engraved on a piece of polished wood, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” What a great thought!

It occurred to me that there are certain quotes I always rely on or come back to, and that led me to ponder whether we can define someone's personality or personal philosophy by that which they quote. Here is a collection of my favorites over the years, along with context. Please refrain from psychoanalysis based on my choices:

* "Every year Babe Ruth led the league in home runs, he also led the league in strikeouts." - My friend Chris "Rooster" Daly. Used often to encourage someone to "keep swinging"...

* "It'll feel better when it stops hurting." - My grandfather, James C. Bearden, to help lighten things for someone with a minor scrape or pain (not recommended for serious injury...).

* "Wherever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Banzai from the movie "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai". Great for signing yearbooks when you really have nothing meaningful to say...

* " What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson - on a plaque my parents gave me that rests on my desk.

* "Fair is not always equal." - Legendary basketball coach John Wooden. Particularly useful if you have kids...

* "All great masters are chiefly distinguished by the powers of adding a second, third and perhaps a fourth step in a continuous line. Many a man has taken the first step. With every additional step you enhance immensely the value of your first." - Ralph Waldo Emerson. A good explanation of the importance of continuing to move forward. I've used it in every personal portfolio I've ever put together.

* "Doh!" - Homer Simpson. No explanation necessary...

* "Good is the enemy of great." - Jim Collins, author of the book Good to Great. A reminder to avoid complacency.

* "We're always modeling whether we realize it or not." - South Principal Al Diver. An especially good reminder for parents and educators.

* "We teach people how to treat us." - another Al Diver quote. A good reminder that others take their cues for how to treat us based on teh way we act and react to things they say and do.

* "Winning is a habit" - Vince Lombardi

* "Be wary of contempt before investigation." - Harry Gossett. Particularly good when you encounter people who never like an idea that is not their own...

* "Nothing more dangerous than an idea when it's the only one you have." - Harry Gossett - fits well with the previous quote...

* "Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda

* "That dog'll hunt." - My friend Bob Kinder, used to describe any good golf shot, or any good attempt at virtually anything...

* "We must be the change we wish to see."- Ghandi

There are many, many more, but you get the idea. Feel free to add your favorites as comments!

Sometimes You Just Gotta Go to Recess...

Yesterday I asked my kids how their school days went. One of them said "It was great - we had double recess!"

My first reaction was a typical principal's thought regarding lost instruction time. I said "Wow... that's cool. Why did you get double recess?".

"My teacher said everyone was stressed out, including her, and we all needed to blow off a little steam, whatever that means."

Smart teacher. Smart teacher with her finger on the pulse of her class. Sometimes we all need a little extra recess.

Lately it seems like all the news both in and out of education is bad. We're seeing a lot of stressed out kids, teachers, administrators and parents. Yesterday our counseling office was full of kids with a wide variety of affective issues. In my twenty plus years in education, I don't think I've ever seen a time when kids felt more uncertainty in their worlds. As adults, both for the kids and ourselves, it's important to take time for a little extra recess now and then.

Remember to take time for yourselves, your kids and everyone's collective sanity. Sometimes taking fifteen minutes to "blow off a little steam" can result in hours of increased productivity. Next time your day is getting you down, find a couple of co-workers or family members to go outside and play a little tag... just might turn things around for you...