I’m not the first commentator (and I won’t be the last) to write about Tommy Tuberville’s election to the U.S. Senate.
Old sayings have value, based on experiences–real experiences that people have over time. They often bear repeating. An example is this: “Just because you live in a house doesn’t mean you are qualified to build one.”
I heard that adage often during my 40-year career in education. It’s a response to a haughty (and faulty) sense of transferability–that just because somebody has had some experience with/in something doesn’t make them capable of jumping to a higher level of experience in that domain.
I heard it a lot from disgruntled parents, telling me that (upon retirement) they’d like to teach. It’s a deprecating, if not insulting, comment–not only about educators but also about the field of education writ large. The belief that teaching is “something anybody can do” defies reality. Over the years, I’ve found that almost all of the people who uttered those words didn’t have the first idea about what classroom teaching involved.
Sen-elect Tommy Tuberville (Fox-6 TV, Birmingham, AL)
I thought about that phrase and those experiences just yesterday as I read an interview with U.S. Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville, published in the Alabama Daily News. No, Mr. Tuberville, the three branches of government aren’t “the House, the Senate, and executive.” He also said the U.S. fought in World War II to “free Europe from socialism.”
So said he who will soon be one of 100 representatives in the United States Senate.
Tuberville may have been a successful college football coach. But what makes him believe that he is qualified to represent his state in the U.S. Senate? More so, what makes the voters of that state believe he is qualified? The stark reality is that he does, and so do they.
Certainly, former head coaches can play important public and civic roles after leaving the field or court. For example, they can apply their name and skills to address local needs. Get involved. Pitch in. Make a difference. But know your limitations, too.
Keep in mind that old saw: “You may live in a house, but that does not make you qualified to build one.”
