muddling about

I have a secret – I’m a Nascar fan. Actually, I’m a huge fan.  Anyhow, I read an interesting set of quotes earlier this week that gave me a laugh and a reminder. The quote was from former champ, Tony Stewart, who wrote about the newly remodeled Vegas race track as being “ridiculously fast…. it’s stupid to be running that fast in a stock car”. In contrast was a quote by another popular racer, Michael Waltrip, who stated ” don’t know why people complain about it. We’re race car drivers, for gosh sakes.” I nearly fell of my chair in laughter when I read it – talk about telling it like it really is.

So what does this have to do with education? I suppose what I see is a quick reminder for us “drivers” to remember what our job actually is about. Often times its easy to be negative when we feel pulled and pushed in various directions which often can appear totally disconnected from what our job is all about. I certainly felt this way one morning earlier this week. So, the next time I’m bogged down by email or buried under paperwork I’m going to listen to Waltrip. If what I’m doing has to do with helping students, or supporting those who help them learn – well, “for gosh sakes – that is my job”.