Push Off the Ground, Not Off of Eachother
“Push off the ground, not off of each other.”
I heard this thousands of times from football refs during my playing days. Those who played football would know the feeling of holding up the pile with tons of body weight crushing down on you. Knees on their chest or other delicate places. Guys pinching your thighs and sides. Linebackers jumping in the top of the pile as the whistle blew.
The refs try and get us to just push each other deeper into the pile by finding some solid ground to push from.
I haven’t thought of that quote since I last played 25 years ago.
Today I am asking the same thing of parents and non educators.
I know principals and teachers are working diligently to open schools for the betterment and safety of our children and the community. You all have enough pressure on their chest and knees in their most delicate of places in a normal school environment.
Opening a school under the most unprecedented times...where there is no model...no right answers...no clear path to follow is more than challenging. It is crippling the minds some great people.
I know because I am one of them.
Recently, have been hired to open a secondary charter school in the safest and most engaging learning model we can provide.It has NOT been easy at all. Every decision you make has 19 unintended consequences.
So I know parents, you need to go to work.
I understand kids learn better in a face to face environment.
You did not sign up for homeschool, I get it.
I know you are worried about equity to access and the learning gap that is continuing to grow.
Let me share this.
When I was a doctoral student at professor, who was a school superintendent at the time said,
“No Bomb has ever gone off in a school. However, do you want to be the first principal that ignores the Bomb threat?”
COVID-19 is that Bomb. Except it won’t just possibly impact your school, but the families of all of the children that attend.
So the next time you want to say something out loud or threw your keyboard strength out there to bash a teacher or principal about remote learning.
Remember to push off the ground. Not off each other.
Tom
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