I always wondered what it is about sports that inspire us so. Even the non-athletic among us like to hear about the back stories of athletes and teams, we gather together for Super Bowl parties, and cheer for our favorite Olympic athletes. We're suckers for inspirational videos like these:
Is it because there's a clear winner and loser? Or maybe because it's so hard to become a successful athlete? So few make it to the big leagues? We love competition? The teamwork? The individual personal bests? Whatever it is, we love sports.
I wondered today about what it would be like if teachers inspired the same kind of fandom. If people threw parties to celebrate them. Companies endorsed them and spent millions of dollars advertising for them. Lots of money was spent on schools, books, supplies, students, professional development and not test publishing companies. We didn't think that spending less on students was a bragging point. We watched videos about teachers not giving up on students and all they do every day, and they had millions of views. Teachers were considered the experts and not bureaucrats. I wonder...
I'm going to do some cheering for teachers today as well as for football. Thank you for all you do!
I used to be a HUGE baseball fan, and the truth is, I'm not crazy about over-competitiveness. Still, I used to get caught up in it, but it was largely because I'd gotten to "know" the players. I've put thought into this and it comes down to "winning." Whether we're rooting for others to win or WE "win" vicariously, it's all about the possibility/hope of winning and achieving goals. Even when my team won, regardless of how much I thought I "hated" the other team, I couldn't bear seeing the losers' faces. It brought home the fact that, though they may have worked just as hard, they DIDN'T win. I've since pulled VERY far away from pretty much any form of competition. I much prefer we all root for each other to be our best, not to BE the "best." That's my take on it though! :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting thoughts Holly. Thanks for putting them out there for others to consider.
ReplyDelete