I have a friend who I've been meaning to bring up in class one day. He is a runner, and has been running for his entire life, right from childhood. He was the captain of the Uvic running team, and absolutely excelled at it. Last year though, he quit. For his entire life he has been told that he would never be the best in the world, because A) he's not from Africa, and B) only one person out of billions can actually be the best. Last year, he realized that he was not that one person, and retired.
Recently, his old high school invited him back to Nova Scotia to coach their track team, which he still holds all the top records at. He talked to me a while after he got back and said that it was very strange going back to a small town where he has real status for following his dream, but having since given up on that dream. He is coaching kids who want to be just like him, who want to try and be superheroes, by his own description, but the odds are infinitesimal that even one of them will make it anywhere. Looking at his own life and the time he spent going hard at his sport, all of the skills he doesn't have now, and all of the opportunities he missed by having his blinders up, all he wants to tell these kids is that they have to have something else. They can't just live for running because it won't be enough. That if they neglect their academics to excel at sports, they are going to wind up miserable and useless (his words).
I'd like to ask some PE teachers about their opinions on this, but what do you guys think? If you had a student who was terrible at school but great at sports, would you encourage them to pursue what they're good at, or would you try to teach them that they need to be well-rounded to succeed?
I'm all for encouraging people to do what their best at, be it sports, academics, whatever. So many kids hate school and wander aimlessly through it. I think only 10% (or something like that) end up going to college, so that means that there are 90% that, really, get basically nothing out of all those years in school that will help them in the future, besides a diploma. For some, playing sports at school, be it individually or as part of a team, is all they look forward to. Being good at sports can help one build confedence, plus it can potentially lead to a scholarship to a university, where they may find that they actually love academics, but just not the sometimes uninspired variety found in high school.
ReplyDeleteBasically(and this is coming from a potential Social Studies teacher), I think secondary schools should devote as much class time, if not more, to non-traditional areas of study (ie. trades). After all, if 90% of students are not going to college, and have little to no interest in the traditional areas, then why the hell do they have to waste their time at school? More importantly, why should we expect them to even come to school in the first place? School should be about helping kids prepare for adulthood, and they should be allowed to choose what career path they wish to take while there. Limiting their options to areas (math, science, history, english, etc.) where potential career options are slim seems ridiculous. I know a lot of schools offer several trade-related courses, but many don't. No wonder so many people get stuck in dead-end jobs after high school.
Ok, I got a little off topic. Good post Moss. I see you're using your time at Rogers wisely.
First of all, retirement from competitive sport is never easy and many athletes face depression when they step away from something that has played such a big part in their life. Having something else as a focus, something that they can identify themselves with besides sport is huge for this transition (be it voluntary or involuntary).
ReplyDeleteSecond, I would suggest that your friend has not wasted his time training for something he was passionate about. I'm sure he has gained valuable skills from his lifetime of running. Sport can build transferrable skills such as hard-work, discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and time-management. These traits will go far towards any career path.
To answer your question, I would encourage athletes to be balanced. Balance is a very important component to being a high-performance athlete. That means having a support network that is not just your teammates or coaches, but family members, fellow students, co-workers etc. - those who are not directly related to your sporting life.
Participating in sport in Canada also means that most athletes are going to have to find an alternate source of income (unless you are playing in the NHL that is), because sport is simply not going to pay the bills. Balance, therefore, is not a choice, but a necessity.
I agree with Kelly, that balance does not necessarily have to mean academics, but training for a career is something that coaches need to encourage and support for their athletes.
Interesting article Moss,
ReplyDeleteIt reminded me of one of the situations witnessed during my observation at Lambrick Park Secondary. One of the English 11 classes i attended focused on this exact issue. Lambrick has a huge focus on baseball, and kids from across the province go to attend their elite baseball training facility. This English teacher was trying to give his student the cold hard facts that probably all of them would never play more than provincial baseball, and to basically make sure that they were not falling behind in their studies. He went through many professions highlighting the credentials needed to obtain certain jobs. This drove home the point to the kids that they needed not only their high school diploma, but also would need a minimum of a bachelors degree in order to obtain most jobs in the current job market. I thought to myself this lesson doesn't really fit into any of the English IRPs/PLOs! I felt obligated to ask the teacher why he felt it was important to teach such a lesson. He responded by saying it was his duty to prepare all students to the "cold hard realities." Most kids aren't going to be superstars. Therefore, i think there certainly needs to be a balance in schools. Although teachers should not be shutting down their students dreams to be stars, they should also be clear that the reality is they will probably need to fall back on their education in order to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.