Lessons Learned from the Baseball Field (1 of 2)

Lesson 1 - Appreciate the Effort 

As I sit here watching my son's baseball game, I feel compelled to write.  We're at the end of the sections tournament and it's quite intense.  Emotions are high and the boys are losing. 

Here's a bit of the current scene:

- Ball hit foul towards first base and my son runs to catch it - "Nice effort!" yells the coach and team in the dugout 

- Pop up to right center, two players run to try and catch the ball.  It's missed. - again you hear "Nice effort!"

In both cases, the coach could have been frustrated with the missed opportunity of an out, but he wasn't.  Maybe he was, but you didn't see it.  Instead, he recognized the effort. 

Whether it's sports, the classroom, or any aspect of life, appreciate the effort. Not only appreciate it but acknowledge it too. 

Not one day have I seen my boy step out on the ball field and give anything less than 100%.  Has he struck out? Yes.  Has he made an error on defense? Yes. But without a doubt he is working hard and trying. 

It's just like the kids in our schools that give their 100% everyday. Are there times they do things we don't want them to?  Yes. Do they miss a problem we've been reviewing for days? Yes. Do they fail a test we thought they would pass? Yes. But it's not for lack of effort.

It's not that they're not trying. I don't know a kid who walks into school and thinks, "I'm going to see how little I can accomplish today." 

These are kids we are working with day in and day out. They're trying. They're making an effort. It's our job to recognize that and validate it.