I used to think that learning was when I could regurgitate the facts on a quiz or an exam. In fact, through my college years I would do my best to figure out what my professor wanted to score an "A" and then do that.
That was until I realized that learning takes many forms, including life experiences. We often hear, "Now, son, what did you learn in school today?" If your son is like most boys, you would probably get an answer like "Oh, nothing!" But, that's not the answer I gave by Dad one day in junior high. I gave my Dad the answer he didn't expect. My Dad asked me like he normally did at the dinner table, "So, son, what did you learn in school today?" I answered very triumphantly, "I learned that when you hit a guy right smack between the eyes, he hits the ground very quickly." He answered back, "Well done, son"
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Vivid Learning Experience
My most vivid learning experience occurred during my final year in little league baseball. I was twelve years old and certain that I was destined for the major leagues. That was until that fateful night in July...
Well, the season started off with a bang. I was hitting over .350 and playing shortstop for the Lions Club. I was right on track for being selected for the Calumet City Little League All-Star Team. Or, so I thought. I was home that night waiting for my manager to call me with the big news...you've been selected to the all-star. The longer the night dragged the more I grew concerned, then the door opened and shut. Oh, yes, my manager came to tell me in person.
So, I yelled down the stairs, "Is that you, Terry?" No answer. So, I called out again, "Is that you, Terry?" But, this time there was an answer. My older brother, Jeff, who had been coaching me for years, called back, "No, it's just me!" So, I called back down to him, "Well...when's first practice for us all-stars?" There was blistering silence again.
"I don't know, but there's a problem. You weren't selected as a first team all-star, but there's more..." I thought, more! I didn't need to hear anymore. But, Jeff apparently thought otherwise. So he went on to tell me that one of the other managers told everyoine that if his son didn't make it, then nobody was going to make it. My manager was terrified. And, he folded. He voted for the other manager's son and I was reduced to an alternate...a nobody. I must have cried most of the evening until I finally fell asleep.
My Dad was silent about the whole matter. What was he thinking? Nothing else matterd to me in my whole life, but being an all-star. So, on that fateful night I made a vow that I would never try anything that I couldn't succeed at...and I did for the next 30 years.
Well, the season started off with a bang. I was hitting over .350 and playing shortstop for the Lions Club. I was right on track for being selected for the Calumet City Little League All-Star Team. Or, so I thought. I was home that night waiting for my manager to call me with the big news...you've been selected to the all-star. The longer the night dragged the more I grew concerned, then the door opened and shut. Oh, yes, my manager came to tell me in person.
So, I yelled down the stairs, "Is that you, Terry?" No answer. So, I called out again, "Is that you, Terry?" But, this time there was an answer. My older brother, Jeff, who had been coaching me for years, called back, "No, it's just me!" So, I called back down to him, "Well...when's first practice for us all-stars?" There was blistering silence again.
"I don't know, but there's a problem. You weren't selected as a first team all-star, but there's more..." I thought, more! I didn't need to hear anymore. But, Jeff apparently thought otherwise. So he went on to tell me that one of the other managers told everyoine that if his son didn't make it, then nobody was going to make it. My manager was terrified. And, he folded. He voted for the other manager's son and I was reduced to an alternate...a nobody. I must have cried most of the evening until I finally fell asleep.
My Dad was silent about the whole matter. What was he thinking? Nothing else matterd to me in my whole life, but being an all-star. So, on that fateful night I made a vow that I would never try anything that I couldn't succeed at...and I did for the next 30 years.
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