Millions of dollars are spent annually in American schools to improve test results, introduce social-emotional learning curricula, and teach children how to control their emotions.
But what if we were constantly looking at a huge classroom with 60 million seats?
What if a classroom already existed where children were taught how to take charge, how to fail and try again, and how to deal with themselves when things didn’t go their way?
A place where children have to learn and practice teamwork in real life, rather than merely reading it on a post?
Youth athletics serve as a metaphor for that classroom. For many years, youth sports were thought of as merely a physical way for kids to remain active and be healthy. The amount of learning and growth already taking place in athletic situations is sometimes disregarded.
An estimated 54% of all children aged 6 to 17 engage in youth sports annually, according to the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. That translates to more than 60 million kids participating in organized sports annually in the United States. American youth are deeply ingrained in sports.
Since more than 50% of our kids play sports annually, we have the chance to view their participation as more than an extracurricular activity. Rather, what if parents and teachers saw athletics as an additional setting where genuine education could occur?
Sports can help children acquire the skills they need to succeed as adults, but they should never take the place of academics.
Before I continue, I must identify the issue that schools are dealing with: Due to a severe lack of funding, coaches, teachers, and administrators are having to make tough decisions. The effort that has already been done is truly heroic.
Funding is not the topic of this discussion. It has to do with attitude. We put educational resources against one another far too frequently: STEM versus P.E., arts versus athletics. But what if they were able to cooperate?
Some pupils do best in conventional classroom environments. My children are in that category. For them, school has always come easily. However, they had to deal with failure in ways that school hadn’t taught them when they went onto a soccer field for the first time.
When things in athletics weren’t easy, my kids didn’t know how to react because their academics had felt effortless. Although they received recognition for their academic achievements, their on-field failure sparked criticism and unease. When they first failed to get it right, they shut down. They would become irate and critical of themselves, saying, “I’ll never be able to do this!” They eventually discovered the lesson we want all children to learn: If they persevere, they can accomplish difficult tasks.
The process is reversed for other students. They shine beneath the lights, even though they can struggle in the classroom. The first place they feel successful, focused, and confident is in the field. These youngsters could learn to apply the mindset they have already gained via sport to their academics if youth sports were seen as an educational partner.
On fields and courts, the kind of development that teachers frequently aim to promote in the classroom is already taking place naturally. Although it’s simple to write these incidents off as inspirational tales, they are genuinely instructive. What may occur if educational institutions took advantage of that advancement and implemented it in our classrooms?
Academics and athletics don’t have to be mutually exclusive. They shouldn’t, however, act as though integration will be simple.
It will need coaches who are more concerned with children than win-loss records to do this effectively. coaches who are aware that they are molding more than just athletes.
It will require educators who can make the connection between classroom instruction and what occurs on the field. educators who are prepared to take advantage of the emotional development that sports frequently foster.
Additionally, it will require administrators who can balance the demands of students, parents, and budgetary restrictions while still managing to lead intentionally.
This isn’t about creating a system that prioritizes sports. It’s about improving our student-first approach in a way that acknowledges the influence of several contexts on a child’s development while giving each one the consideration and respect it merits.
We run the risk of overlooking one of the most influential classrooms, where children are already learning about themselves, gaining emotional resilience, and working hard, when we write off athletics as something that children do outside of school. Additionally, we miss the chance to support the progress that is already taking place. Additionally, we deprive far too many pupils of the resources they require in the classroom.
We cannot afford to ignore the impact that sports already have on our students’ lives if the objective is to produce children who can overcome obstacles and continue to grow when times become tough. As a partner, not as a rival in the classroom.
