Small Steps
November 3, 2015
“You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.” I believe it was former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George who said this when advocating for a big leap forward for his country during the early 20th century.
Indeed, taking two small jumps when one giant leap is necessary is an ill-fated strategy.
However, I have found that a series of smaller steps to solve large problems is very often the most practical and politically-expedient approach.
For example, as we have enhanced coaching requirements, especially related to health and safety, we didn’t insist that all of the changes occur simultaneously, or immediately. One thing at a time, phased in over several years, made these changes possible.
My MHSAA colleague Rob Kaminski, our webmaster and publications coordinator who is also an MHSAA registered football and basketball official, once remarked, “Not all football plays are designed to score touchdowns; some are just intended to move the ball forward or to set up a bigger play later.”
Hit Again
April 1, 2013
Education reform needs a Mulligan. A do-over. The opportunity to go back to “Go” and start over. For example . . .
-
Back to a time before the attack on neighborhood schools closed those schools and contributed to neighborhood collapse and community disconnect.
-
Before suburban schools were allowed to prey on and profit from an urban school’s misfortunes.
-
Before large buses lumbered down narrow residential lanes to transport our littlest learners from the shadow of their local school to another across town, where all the other littlest students were gathered for more “cost-effective” education.
-
Before schools shuffled off low-achieving students to alternative schools in order to elevate their ranking on standardized test scores.
-
Before teachers based their lessons more on test preparation than learning.
-
Before education re-segregated through specialized charter schools with non-inclusive curricula.
-
Before public schools were barred from beginning their instructional days before Labor Day, or whenever their community thought it best for the education of its students.
-
Back to a time when pedagogy more than politics planned and delivered education.
Let’s tee it up and hit again.