Trying to recapture what is inevitably lost means missing an opportunity to teach reality.
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An article published recently in my local paper quoted Que Tucker, commissioner of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. She said: “The easiest thing in the world would be to simply say the championship season in basketball is over. Being a former basketball coach, and knowing how important bringing closure to your season is for everyone–especially seniors– we made the decision that we want to continue, as they say, to keep hope alive. But we understand we’re at the mercy of the virus.”
For reference, NC state public schools are closed at least until May 18. That means championship basketball games would be held (at best) sometime in early June.
As a former teacher, coach, and school administrator, I appreciate the desire to see champions crowned, and I have empathy for what is a void in athletes’ lives, especially for the seniors. But I strongly disagree with what Tucker is saying and what the Association has done. Why? They are missing an opportunity to embrace a great teachable moment.
Instead of keeping hope alive, why not teach reality? While exuding hope is admirable, it sometimes represents wasted energy and can hamper making progress. The reality is that we are “at the mercy of the virus,” and, because of that, it is false hope to think that the 16 teams still alive in the tournament will be able to regroup and play in a worthwhile fashion.
The reality is this. Events are sometimes beyond our control. When they are–as they are today–all we can do is respond as best we can under the circumstances.
Let’s face it. The educational system in our country has suffered because of COVID-19. The virus has produced ‘school year interrupted,’ especially so for the seniors, who have lost the pomp and circumstance that go with graduating year–senior proms, graduation celebrations, and athletic events, to name a few.
But any calamity also represents a learning opportunity. Consider what poet John Keats wrote in 1817: “The first thing that strikes me on hearing a Misfortune having befallen another is this. Well, it cannot be helped; he (sic) will have the pleasure of trying the resources of his (sic) spirit.”
Yes, we are amid horrific misfortune that includes illness, suffering, and death. In the face of calamity, let us come together, be realistic, and (as Keats asserts) ‘find the resources of our spirit.’
