How are we doing?

In the “Gladiator” department evidently not very well. The coach of the Seahawks was sacked after his first season for a 5 and 11 season. Why? Evidently the management didn’t think that this was good enough.

In the “Education” department reports show that we are somewhere between 21st and 29th in the developed nations. Clearly not in “The Playoffs!” Should we be sacking someone? If so, who?

In Athletics coaches send out “Scouts” to determine how other teams are playing so that they can “Coach” their players to meet the competition. Assuming we want to “Make the Playoffs” in the world competition, shouldn’t we be “Scouting” our competition; then changing our plans to meet the competition?

Educators frequently refer to the concept of “Best Practices” as they search for better results. This is “Scouting” in the same sense as coaches are doing when they review videos of opposing teams.

I would like to submit a “Scouting Report” that comprises some of the things that I have learned in my observations and readings in the education field. I would hope that “Coaches,” we would call “Educators;” “Players,” we would call “Students,” and “Fans,” “Parents” might take note of these best practices and set about to improve our standings in the “League.” This “League” may be where survival of our lifestyle is defined.

1. The school systems that are leading this pack, either in America, or internationally, are places where academic achievement is “Priority 1” and probably “Priority 2, 3 and 4” as well. Educators (Coaches) and Fans (Parents) have taken great care to be sure that Players (Students) believe that there isn’t a higher priority.... not sports, not video games, not “Social Networking” or any other topic.

2. Internationally players are not distracted by such things as driving at the age of 16, or getting a part time job. They are kept busy with studies during school hours and after school hours. In some Asian countries after school they attend another school to improve their skills!

3. Sports are not part of the school scene, whereas they are a distraction to many students in our schools. This system’s kids “Practice” a great deal more time than our players do. They have longer practice sessions (school days and years).

4. There are consequences for poor academic achievement. Gateway tests determine which school students will be attending. Parents are very concerned that their children are admitted to the best schools. There is no “All schools are good” dogma by school administrators (Coaches)

5. There are very precise standards imposed by Coaches (Educators) for every stage of a child’s (Player) education. They do not relax these standards because some cannot meet them.

6. These education systems are not romanced by “Technology.” They do not believe that this is the “Magic Bullet.”

This “Scout” believes that if this were the case in Federal Way we would be attracting some living wage paying employers to Federal Way.

Representative Priest put it very well at a recent school board meeting when he said that most of the employers in Puget Sound are “Mature” industries, and the only future attraction of Puget Sound is likely to be superior education. If we want this superior education, we will have to believe in what the leaders in this league believe in.

This would require that “Coaches” and “Fans” take a real close look at what the leaders are doing.

So, who should be “Sacking?” Clearly our “Coaches” and “Fans” are a major problem here. In my tutoring experiences I haven’t come upon many players that I felt couldn’t be in a better league.