Mark Twain once said "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." What a great quote! I was thinking about this the other day when I heard about a friend of mine I haven't seen in several years. I have alot in common with this guy. We went to High School together and played football from seventh grade on through graduation. We took most of the same classes and had many of the same interests. I don't know exactly what his grades were but I know we both struggled at times. We were both smart enough. It wasn't that we couldn't understand what we were being told. Maybe there were just too many distractions.
Being a member of the football team had it's distinct advantages. I don't know how many times we got to get out of school early because we had a game or practice or films or something "important". In fact, the whole school would let out for pep rallies on Fridays and we would be the stars of the show! Life was good at those times but it wasn't always that way. Football takes alot of work. Work takes alot of time. I didn't get a job until after high school because I didn't have time. I didn't have a big social life partly because I didn't have time. I didn't have a girlfriend because...well, nevermind why.
Like most schools we had golf, tennis, rodeo, band, and different clubs from which to choose. The problem was, I now realize, none of those other things made any money for the school. As football players we were told not to be in any of those other activities. In fact, when I decided to play golf, I had to run laps every day before they would let me go to the golf course. I know some guys would drop out of athletics all together because there was so much pressure to devote every waking moment to football.
I look back now at their methods and I can lose sleep over it to this day. What would be different in my life today if I had not been in athletics? Maybe not too much. Maybe alot. I wonder if the pressure to gain weight to be a bigger lineman might have skewed my eating habits. I wonder if I had not been lifting weights unsupervised in the weight room if I might have avoided a surgery. If nothing else my golf game might be better if I had been able to practice more on a sport I could still be playing, unlike football.
I was not the only one who was frustrated with this. This was something else I had in common with my friend that I spoke of earlier. I remember several instances of him getting punished for expressing his thoughts on this subject. He always said exactly what everybody else wanted to say. I respected him for that and I respect him even more today. You see, I hated school. I still hate school. I hated everything about it. Sure, I had some good teachers. I remember Mrs. Gallman and Mrs. Overman really wanting me to learn and made me feel important and special. My overall remembrances of school, though, are not pleasant and it made me want nothing more to do with it. My friend, though, was able to overcome his frustration. I got word the other day that he is now the superintendant of a school in the Texas panhandle and has even gotten his doctorate. I am ecstatic for him! I have no doubt that he will put the emphasis back where it should be at his school. I know his love of football will not cloud his wisdom on what is really important for his kids.
1 comment:
The problem with public schools today is that they don't simply educate kids. They also indoctrinate kids in the official state religion: liberal politics mixed with humanistic philosophy. We spent so much time deprogramming our kids from all of the junk they were taught that it made us realize that it is wrong to delegate the responsibility of raising our kids to the government. That is our job, and we can do a better job not only with the academics, but in passing on a Godly world view.
Post a Comment