Learning Curves

On Thursday night we watched with pride as third-stringer Andrew caught two touchdown receptions for the ninth grade "B" team.  With over forty ninth-graders on the football team, the coaches have limited his play in the first two games to three downs.   Head Coach Brett Aamot assured us that because this is his first year, he is constantly thinking about the plays instead of reacting to the situation or looking for the ball, and he will improve dramatically once the plays become second nature.  Pete observed a noticeable boost in his skills and participation since the Hutchinson scrimmage three weeks ago.

Today I chatted with Michelle on the phone, and we agreed that she is in the same boat.  She's supposed to give "participation" and "behavior" points to use for grading in addition to academic work.  However, she's so busy thinking about how to teach the class that she can't notice who's participating.  Though she certainly notices who's misbehaving, she struggles to think of methods of discipline while concentrating on presenting the lesson and speaking Spanish.   She confessed, "I'm not used to doing something I"m not that good at."  And it has been a long time since she had to work hard at something.  She loves a challenge, though, and will rise to this one.

Learning curves aren't fun, but they're important.  When we persevere through the curve, we gain knowledge and skill, but more importantly, the character quality of perseverance.