Everybody wants to be successful.
When you ask children how they will live when they grow up, as I sometimes do as a public school teacher, most answers revolve around what they will have or own. "I'm gonna have a big house and lots of cars" or "I'm gonna make lots of money" or things along that line are often responses.
Of course, children in elementary school generally have no idea of what their life's work will be nor are they expected to. While having a better understanding of what lies ahead in their future, high school students for the most part haven't decided what their avocation will be once their schooling is behind them.
I have been an elementary art teacher for more than 25 years though it was well past my graduation from college in 1975 before I ever considered that as my life's work. The thought of being an art teacher had never even crossed my mind in '75, though I did consider a career in the arts which is why a significant portion of my college curriculum was art related.
When I ultimately became an elementary art teacher, it wasn't even my idea. Early in my career, I had gotten a K-12 art certification in order to teach a couple of high school art classes. The school I was employed with in 1985 had their elementary art teacher resign the day before school started which led to my being moved from secondary social studies and geography to art full time. This was a seminal moment in my life as that unexpected turn in my career turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me.
Attending high school and college reunions has impressed me with the fact that in addition to me, very few of my peers really knew what they would ultimately be doing for a living after finishing their formal education. There was one constant among the many variables of the educational process that seems to have been a prime indicator of success. That component was participation in extra-curricular activities, especially athletics.
The National Federation of High School Athletics monitors high school athletics and activities and their most recent statistics indicated that more than 50 percent of our nation's youths participate in an athletic program. This association often releases studies and reports on their website relating to student achievement.
Their latest studies indicate that students involved in athletics score 10 percent higher in core subjects (math, science, English, social studies) than do non-athletes. Athletes had higher grades, better attendance, less behavioral problems and much lower drop-out rates than non-participants.
Most schools will cite that the ultimate goal of their athletic programs is to help produce responsible adults and productive citizens who can become skilled workers and professionals when they are on their own. Students that combine athletic participation with academic endeavors will be the winners and leaders of the future.
There were components of success that I read about in a lot of places mentioning emotional competence and improved social capital as by-products of athletic participation. These components are the real indicators of future life success rather than yards rushed, points scored or homers hit.
To be successful in sports, you have to learn and embrace team play and sportsmanship. It takes a lot of self-control to contend in athletic contests and play within the rules, even when those around you don't. Emotional competence that reins in temper when you are wrongly whistled for a foul will hold you in good stead when encountering unfair situations in the workplace. That same competence which helps you refrain from retaliation when an opponent has committed an unfair act against you is a trait that is invaluable.
Sometimes when opportunity is knocking at the door, the person who opens the door only sees hard work, resulting in that door being closed.
Athletics is hard work and the outcome isn't assured. Sometimes the best team doesn't win, and sometimes the breaks just don't go your way. Sounds kind of like life itself.
Anyone participating in athletics learns at some point that you have to "go with the flow." Things don't always turn out like you might hope or expect them to, and you have to be resilient enough to adapt and mentally strong enough to cope and survive.
Sports and athletic participation are usually the first venues that students experience that help them understand competitive situations. While some might think that athletic competition is bad for young people, I would argue that it is essential.
Life is all about competition. Job hunting is very competitive. Success in a career will mean competing. Students who have never had to compete in their life will be sorely pressed to cope with it when they meet it head on as adults.
A former art student came into my room to observe recently and casually mentioned that she had thought about pursuing an elementary art teaching career but had second thoughts about it when she heard that it was hard getting a job in that area.
I advised her that it may be true that there may be more job applicants than jobs in a lot of job markets, the best will get the jobs. So, I told her, you just need to do what it takes to be the best. Have better skills than most and your path will be easier.
Like Nolan Richardson once said, "You have to be lucky to win, but the harder you work, the luckier you get."
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Editor's note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. He is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at [email protected].
Editorial on 02/12/2014