Snow days can do crazy things to an
administrator’s mind. Tomorrow will be our 3rd snow day, bookending
a weekend. So, actually I am on day 5 of
limited access to friends, colleagues, and school. When this happens it leads to an opportunity
to reflect and make connections.
My reflection came this weekend doing
something I have loved since I was a child.
As a little girl growing up in Northwest Arkansas, my dad took me to the
Razorback Basketball Games. This was a tradition,
and something I now share my family.
Yesterday, while enjoying the game with my oldest daughter and my
husband, I reflected on how the school year is much like a basketball game.
Have you ever noticed how the momentum
builds gradually over the course of the game?
Players obviously want to win, but I don’t necessarily see them play
with the same intensity the entire game.
You see, in Razorback Country we call it the “fastest 40 minutes of
basketball”. The inference is that when
you play the Razorbacks the pace will be intense the entire game. Well, there are times of intensity. Yet, usually when the game starts everyone is
mellow. As fans we sit back and take most
of initial game action with a lackadaisical attitude. Oh, we clap, cheer, and sing the school songs
during time outs, but we are not highly engaged. Yet, in the last few minutes of the half, or,
especially, the last few minutes of the game, we are highly engaged and
excited, as are the players.
As educators, we tend to do the same
during the course of our game . . . our school year. We start off the year strong, but with a lower
intensity. Again, we celebrate successes
and plan for success, but not always preparing with intensity for the final
outcome (state test). Certain times during
the year (conferences, nine weeks, semester), we also increase our
intensity. Yet, you can really see
everyone get engaged, focused, and intense during the few weeks leading up the
to the state accountability assessment (Arkansas = Benchmark). Why don’t we all (players, administrators, teachers,
students) play/prepare with same fervor the entire game/school year?
Yes, there are other similarities:
- Players watch the game tape to reflect and make adjustments, while teachers reflect on their lessons and student data to plan for future instruction.
- Players and teachers have that final goal where they are evaluated in the public eye, leading to being ranked. (game score & test scores)
And differences:
- Teachers teach every child that enters our school doors; coaches recruit and pick players – even to the point of who plays at what time.
- In a basketball game there will be a winning/losing team. Yet, in education, all the students can win with a strong education.
