What is the Best Advice You've Ever Gotten?

As kids we heard a lot of advice from a lot of people. Some was good, some not, some was flat scary.

As someone that works with kids and has a four of my own, I am careful to not share a lot of life advice for a few reasons.

1 - I don't pretend to be the wisest person on Earth.

2 - Mis-interpreted advice can be dangerous, especially in the form of a metaphor...which is usually how I speak.

3 - I just don't like to do it.

But there is a need for advice from people who have spun a few wheels already (metaphor).

I must say that the absolute best life advice I ever got was from my old man.

NEVER bring a knife to a gun fight. 

My father was not the kind to carry weapons or even engage in physical confrontations with others.  So what did he mean?

To me, it meant never expect to compete in a speech competition with well-practiced people without being well-practiced yourself.

It also meant never go into an athletic competition if you aren't in prime condition and your competitors are.  

It also meant to never expect to get a job that requires a Master's degree if you are only carrying a high school diploma.

It also meant to not expect to have much success winning business if you didn't do your homework and everyone else has.

And so on.  The applicability is universal. 

What is the Role of High School?

A local radio station spent some time talking about state budgets and how schools fared in them.  One large question came from a listener that had just about everyone stumped.

What is the role of high school?

The conversation went several directions.  Here is a terribly truncated paraphrase:

• High schools are supposed to make kids ready for college.
• High schools should be getting kids ready for careers.
• There isn’t enough money anywhere to accommodate both.
• College degrees have decreasing value.
• Community colleges have the role of vocational education.
• Colleges will lose money if the vocational role is taken by high schools.
• Colleges and universities have become “re-training grounds” for displaced workers.
• A mechanic or plumber making $50 an hour won’t quit their job to make much less as a vocational education teacher.
• Despite efforts to push kids toward college, growing numbers are going to college unprepared.

…and on and on.  This type of re-hashing the problems isn’t atypical.  But what is there to do?

Here are some ideas that will likely never get off the ground:

• Establish and grow apprenticeship programs for high-schoolers and young adults.
• Re-establish standardized tests as minimum skills test and/or prognostic tools ONLY.
• Re-establish the ACT and SAT as the indicators for likely post-secondary success (not the statewide test.)
• Establish Vocational Charter Schools as an educational experiment.
• Establish that “work” isn’t dirty or lower than “not-working", and is very important and vital. 

If any of the above were discussed seriously, mighty battles would start over the details, like tax breaks for individuals and companies that took on apprentices, how many hours should be allowed, what is “critical” in a minimum skills test, etc. 

Then there will be accusations about pushing certain groups into vocational routes to keep them down.  Politicians will always tiptoe around such charges despite their ridiculousness.   

A question for readers, how many of you make more money than your plumber?  More than the guy who inspected your house before you bought it?  More money than the contractor who keeps the country club grass green and draining properly?  More money than the people who wire all newly constructed building for electricity?

You may be surprised.

Youth Competition - The Tale of Two Regions

 Every region is different.  Let’s just get that out of the way.  I moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina in December of 2009.  The 28 years before that were spent in South Texas.    Earlier years in my life were spent in South Dakota and Hawaii.  My memories of those last two aren’t as vivid, so this article will only contrast North Carolina and Texas. 

After watching a handful of athletic contests at the high school level and lower, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Chapel Hill area and Texas have very different philosophies about competition.  That there is a difference isn’t surprising, it’s the vast chasm between the two that is eye-popping. 

Exhibit A - San Antonio – My nephew’s 4-year-old soccer league game where the other team has a player named Michelle.  We all know her name was Michelle because she had a soccer bag with her name monogrammed onto the side AND every time she had the ball, someone kept yelling “Michelle, Michelle, MICHELLE MICHEELLLEEE!!”  Michelle’s team wins 14-2 and their parents continue to coach up the kids after the game is over.

Exhibit B - Holly Springs, NC – A 10 to 11-year-old softball league game has one parent bringing her daughter a fruit salad in a bowl with a fork DURING the game.  Each kid gets a snack bar and juice box as they leave and none of the girls have really mastered throwing, yet. 

Exhibit C – McAllen, TX – At a freshman football game that is getting very physical, Luis breaks both bones in his left forearm.  Luis tries to hide the arm from me (his coach at the time) so that he can keep playing.  When his arm is discovered, Luis pleads with his coaches and team trainer to let him play, anyway.  His salemanship fails. Luis defies his coaches and hits the weight room every day, only being able to use his right arm.

Exhibit D – Pittsboro, NC – A “big rivalry” varsity football game is preceded by players doing some dancing and towel waving.  The game starts with suspect ball handling and not a single collision that can be heard from the stands. 

Exhibit E – Austin, TX – At the state track and field meet, Robert vomits from exhaustion and nerves after finishing 2^nd in the 400-meter dash.  His 47.9 second run was just short of being fast enough to be state champion.  After making sure that he is properly hydrated in the 97 degree heat, he gets ready to run the 200m, where he breaks his personal best time of 21.6. 

Exhibit F - Chapel Hill – A junior high soccer tournament is filled with coaching pointers such as “play as a team” and “do your best” and other feel good quips.  Judging from the skill set of the players, that is probably about the extent of coaching that goes on at the practices.  The kids have on some fancy equipment.  None of their uniforms show any evidence of grass stains or dirt...or sweat, even though there is some complaining about the 75 degree “heat”. 

This isn’t to say that either is right, nor is either necessarily wrong.  They are just very different attitudes.  There is plenty in both that can be picked out as “right on” and even more than can be isolated as “needs some changin’”.

Perhaps I’ll keep moving so that I can take notes about how such things are handled in other places.