The teams were each wearing a different color wristband, so I took the enviable position of putting on both colors. I would hold up the red hand when the red team had the frisbee, and I would hold up the green hand when the green team had possession. I played no defense, scored no points, and still had so much fun!
While we were playing, I noticed a young man who got frustrated if the frisbee moved backward (away from their goal) even if his team kept control of it. Sometimes that happened because the only person open on that team was behind the person who had control of the frisbee. When throwing the frisbee backward, that sometimes opened up some space for another person in front and closer to the goal. This happens because the people on defense move in the direction of the frisbee, and make more space available.
My friend was having a hard time, because he wasn't able to see this. I could see his frustration growing. I went over to him and crouched down next to him to talk. I quietly explained what was happening and why it was working. He looked around at the space in the gym, trying to understand what I was saying. It wasn't happening at that moment, and I could see he didn't believe me.
We continued to play and a few minutes later, my friend came over to me and said excitedly said, "I saw it, I saw it. He threw it back and then she threw it forward and then we scored a touchdown!"
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| Photo courtesy of www.theodysseyonline.com |
Rarely in education, or in life, is success a straight line forward. As educators, it happens weekly, if not daily in our classrooms. We move forward with our students, only to then take a step or two backwards. Sometimes it's with individual students, and sometimes it's the entire class. We want our students to learn and improve, and the lesson we want them to take away is never to stop trying.
For me, one of the beautiful parts about the lack of a straight line to success are the people that you meet along the way. In 2001, while dating the woman who would ultimately become My Wife, she told me I would be a superintendent of schools one day. I responded with disbelief - there would be no way I would ever want to be a superintendent. Superintendents are far away from children, they push papers around, and only work with boards. Who would want that job?
Fast forward to 2019, and I am a superintendent of schools. I choose to spend time in classrooms, have office hours for adults, and maintain a presence in the building. I love to eat lunch with students, ask them what they're learning, and share this information with the board. It is my job to ensure that students feel safe and welcome when they come to school so they can learn to his or her potential. It is also my job to give the adults the freedom to be their best selves in service to our students and their families.
It certainly is true that the path to success is rarely, if ever, a straight line.
