Late Learner

Why has it taken me so long to become a good student? I think the expression “life long learner” loses something when you don’t really start maximizing your efforts until you qualify as a senior citizen.

Ironic as it may seem, for someone who loved his long career as a teacher (and is still loving it in its current, very limited, iteration), I was a bad student. My GPA declined every semester from my freshman year of high school on, finally bottoming out at .6 as a second semester college sophomore (after that, my year-designation rated as undetermined until I finally graduated). Yes, that is 0-decimal-point-six (3 Fs, a D and a C, for those of you keeping score at home, and didn’t include PE, which I also failed, and the speech course I dropped before I got an F there, as well).

Obviously I picked things up a little in order to graduate and get my teacher certification, although the following anecdote is telling, and this takes place AFTER I was married (and graduated, but that’s another story. Anyway, it’s one thing to explain a bad grade to a parent; to your wife....) Carolyn had accidentally locked herself out of our first apartment and went next door to a neighbor, asking for a ride up to UM-St. Louis to retrieve a key. Her friend said, “You’ll never find him, that place is huge.” True, although certainly not on the scale it is today. Carolyn’s response, “No, it will be fine, he’ll be in the commons playing bridge.” She had no problem getting the key.

I actually did become a decent student at Webster University (née College) for my master’s, even joining as adjunct faculty for a class or two. I didn’t exactly revert to form for my Counseling masters (GPAs for masters degrees are a joke, requiring mostly attendance), but I complained a lot and had to force myself to actually show up to class. However, unlike my undergrad studies, I actually did show up.

Two weeks ago I finished a coaching clinic in Kansas City. I began attending these about 25 years ago, as I was about to take over the reins of Hancock’s softball program. For 10-12 years these conferences served as the kick-off (apologies for the wrong sport metaphor) for our Spring season. I kind of got away from them for a while, but still attended sporadically. This year I returned (the AARP room rate was cheaper than the sold-out “special” conference rates) and found myself taking copious notes at all the the sessions, even the ones that were less than relevant for me.

I occasionally wonder how much more I might have learned in college had I cheated by actually going to class, reading the material (but really, shouldn’t books with college text price points read themselves?), taking notes, etc. Of course, like my MAT from Webster, this clinci has immediate, practical applications. I can visualize how I’m going to use the information and look forward to being able to apply it sooner rather than later. My mind still wanders, of course, but only because I’m projecting forward something I just heard/learned.

I’m looking forward to sharing what I learned this weekend with my great “teammates” of the WGHS coaching staff, the remarkable young women who play for us, and the parents who support us all. My 40^th softball team is just around the corner and I’m anticipating once again, another enjoyable season. I am fortunate; I have had teams with bad records, but never a bad team. 

It didn’t hurt, of course, that softball season is also a harbinger of warmer weather, as I stared out at the ice from my hotel room in Kansas City and see the ice/snow combo still covering our deck at home.