Three years ago, that changed for me (thanks to a new Lead Learner in my professional life, Principal Lisa Meade). When she set the vision for our school that included giving up on NO CHILD - EVER, I continued to commit myself to helping every student achieve his / her best in my courses. But, she modeled and encouraged the risk-taking, thinking outside of the box, TRUE differentiation (not the buzz word that we have kicked around for decades) and much more. I feel that I unleashed the beast in my classroom. Some days, it is chaos, a little loud and tough to manage with everyone on different tasks. (I still am adjusting to this component of the beast.) But, what I have observed is my students taking risks everyday as I do the same right along side of them. We try. We fail, laugh, learn and go back to the drawing board. When technology does not work, we brainstorm ways around it. I allow them to lead me more often than I ever thought possible. I love my classroom and my students. I have reflected and even blogged about this many times.
Just about the time that I started rewriting my game plan as a teacher, I must have done the same thing (unknowingly) as a parent. It is with much pride that I share that my son, Mike, has become a risk-taker, driven to do his best, the kind of kid that I always dreamed of raising with my husband. In 7th grade, when he first tried out for Select Chorus and did not make it, I was more devastated than he was. I had rarely (if ever) taken a risk on something that I was not sure that I could achieve. I was sure that I had passed this (weakness?) on to my son. He took the setback in stride (understanding that his voice was changing and it was not his time). I was flabbergasted when he tried out again, in 8th grade, and made it. His 8th grade Select Chorus experience was one the best in his entire educational career to date. HE TOOK THE RISK and achieved his goal.
As he entered high school this year, he has taken many risks socially, academically and athletically. One big risk that he took was trying out for the high school basketball team. Mike's talent and interest has been in baseball since he was old enough to swing a bat. His interest in soccer soon followed. He was never interested in basketball and was about to try out for a team in his large high school (290 students in his grade alone). I wanted to scream, "NO! Don't do it!" My only interest was to protect him from being hurt when he got cut. While I never verbalized the words, my son is quite perceptive. He told us, "It is okay if I do not make it. I will try something different to stay active this winter." With that attitude, he tried out and made the team! We did not expect him to play much (as he had nothing more than a few open gym sessions before tryouts to learn the game). But, in each game, he has played more and looked a little more natural on the court. BEST OF ALL - he is loving the team and coach, learning the game and enjoying every minute. He is active 6 days a week and happy because HE TOOK THE RISK.
The greatest risk that I have ever seen my son take was this past week in Florida. Mike has had much success as a baseball player, success that earned him many invites to events around the country. This past summer, we researched and accepted an invitation to a college showcase event in Florida for baseball. We planned our family vacation to Florida around this baseball experience. As I watched his excitement grow, I grew weary, fearing that he would become nervous when surrounded by upperclassmen from all over the country with much talent, faster and more successful.
Instead, our family enjoyed an incredible experience that has now made me even more in awe of our son than ever. I watched him suit up and step on the field among 500 high school athletes (the second youngest in the group). While the beginning of his first day had a few bumps, his determination never wavered. We observed him laughing with new teammates, working hard and interacting with many adults of different roles that are typical of a college showcase. He was not the least bit intimidated by the stars of the event, but impressed and inspired by them. He stepped to the plate with confidence and batted .500 in 3 games while facing the best pitching in his young life (80-90 mph). He had a great pitching outing. Although his velocity did not come close to his competitors', he pitched 2 scoreless innings, giving up only one hit. He had great pick off plays from the mound that had his teammates, coach and umpire congratulating him.
The best moment of the experience for us came as we enjoyed a leisurely drive and dinner. I discovered the SCOUTS' notes/blog on the event showcase that gave Mike a shout out for his success that day. WOW!!! My young 14 year old was recognized among some of the best players around (ages 15-18). We were all ecstatic. This was much more than we were expecting from this first event.
As the final day wound down with some fun activities, I continued to observe Mike, chatting, laughing and making new friends at every turn, in his glory. I wondered, "How did he get so brave? I could NEVER HAVE DONE THIS!" I kept snapping photos knowing that every image would be deeply entrenched in my mind.
I have to conclude that my new risk-taking in my professional life has carried over to my personal life. My goal at school is always to create a safe environment where students can try, fail, learn, move forward, express and be themselves. During this vacation, I was pleased to learn that I have done the same for my son. PROUD BASEBALL MOM in the house!!
