A Perspective Check

I spend a lot of time at the ball field.  There’s a sign that is posted sporadically around Little League fields that always makes me smile.  It’s a simple reminder of perspective.

These are kids.  This is a game.  Coaches are volunteers.  Umpires are human.  Your child does not play for MLB.

We all need a check on our perspective from time to time.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the moment that we lose sight of the purpose.  Baseball should be fun. It should help teach teamwork and hard work. It teaches our kids how to win with humility and to lose with an opportunity to learn.  It creates friendships that might have been otherwise undiscovered. And, it’s a skill that takes years to hone but will never be perfected. Even the best-of-the-best in MLB, get on base about 30% of the time.  

There are so many lessons to teach through this game.  And, yet, it’s often forgotten.  This is also a reminder for me as an educator.  We have so many hidden lessons to teach.  

These are kids.  Let’s not forget that.