A World Cup Teacher Connection

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It was a penalty shot coming from the best team in the Minneapolis city conference. I was on the line, studying the shooter, his plant foot, hips, eyes. Something told me the ball was coming low right. The whistle blew, the ball took off, and I dove right. I got my fingers on it and pushed it wide and out of bounds. Great save, if I do say so myself.

I've been making reads like that every day for the last 24 years. The soccer pitch turned into a classroom. Instead of opponents, it's students.

Studying students happens all the time. Standing on the goal has turned into standing at the door as they enter the classroom, reading their faces. It's sitting with them as they struggle over a new word and understanding the confusion. It's reading their writing and offering glows and grows in the most constructive way to build them up. It's helping them navigate being a young person and guiding them towards the right decisions.

How do you get to that point? Preparation, relationships, and routines. Setting the physical room up for success: layout, flow, seating, lighting, and so much more. Getting to know your students, where they're coming from, and what makes them tick. Making sure they know what to expect when they walk through the door, and that it's consistent every single day. That's how you make the diving save, not for yourself, but for them.

But being a keeper can be lonely. Back there all by yourself. Sure. But a keeper trying to do it alone isn't successful. Thankfully, schools are full of teammates. Maybe it's a grade level team, a content area team, a resource team, or maybe it's all of them. The goal is the same: making learning magical.

Teachers make saves every day. Multiple times a day. You can't be content with one save, even if it is pushing a penalty shot wide. You get up, pump your fist, look around, and get ready for the next shot.

Now, you might say, "Aren't keepers a little goofy?" Yep, the best keepers and teachers definitely are.