Take a look at this short clip from NBC:
Why do we so valorize sports? How have we as a society equated school pride and desire to go to school with the conditions of school athletic fields? Why aren’t we revamping school science labs before improving school gyms? Why are students told they can miss academic subjects for a doctor’s appointment, but if they miss a basketball practice for the same appointment, they’ll be penalized on the bench during the next game? Why do the sirens blare when a high school sports team makes State, but not when the chess team or jazz band does?
For the most part, I think sports are a good thing. Children learn teamwork and discipline and sportsmanship. They stay fit and agile. But something is way out of kilter when our first approach to improving a failing school and an apathetic student body is to create a better athletic field or build a basketball court. Yes, our children need places to go outdoors, but not primarily or just for team sports. Our children need inspired and inspiring teachers who believe in them and help them to learn what is most important for their lives and futures; who call upon them to be true citizens of their communities, their nation, and their world; who nurture their students’ dreams and hold them to the highest standards for their achievement.
Watching this clip depressed and angered me. How often we miss the great opportunities we have for truly making a difference because we focus on the less important goals instead of meeting the truly big challenges we and our children face?
Zoe Weil
Author of The Power and Promise of Humane Education, Most Good, Least Harm, and Above All, Be Kind
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