A is for algebra; B is for baseball; C - is for you're off the team
A week ago, feeling amped and restless after watching the end of the Michigan-Indiana game, I decide to go for a walk. We live close enough to the stadium to make a few bucks parking cars in our front yard, so after a game, a few thousand people stream through our neighborhood.
It’s always fun, particularly following an exciting U-M win to commune amongst the fans and to feel their hyped-up vibe. I didn’t grow up in Ann Arbor (White Plains, NY, actually) so my devotion to Michigan football is less an emotional attachment to fond childhood memories, than the recognition that the whole city tends to feel happier, more vibrant and dynamic as we head toward winter, when the team’s doing well. While I don’t have any data to support this assertion, it also seems like people donate more generously to the Neutral Zone when Michigan’s having a good season.
Regardless whether that’s true, folks were definitely jazzed after the tussle with Indiana, heading back to their cars with spines straight and springy bounces in their steps. Twenty minutes into my walk, I bump into a friend who also happens to coach a varsity sport at Pioneer. He attended the game with his family and we debrief the dramatic comeback, agreeing Michigan was lucky to win, and, because even though I root passionately for the Wolverines I’m still ¬- at least in theory - more concerned with broader principles of truth and justice, I tell him how the television replay clearly demonstrated the refs blew the call on Donovan Warren’s interception. We turn to debating the merits of Michigan’s two freshman quarterbacks and then, amidst what seems like citywide post-game good cheer, I ask what he thinks about Pioneer’s academic requirements for athletes.
I ask about this policy - which states, I think, something to the effect that athletes must retain a 2.0 GPA to remain eligible to participate in their sports - because, for the life of me, I can’t understand why we have it. I’m familiar with the arguments in support of such a policy - playing sports is a privilege not a right, and a kid needs to take care of business in the classroom before he/she gets to take care of business on the field - but they’ve never made any sense to me.Â
I respect any parent’s individual decision to set parameters for a child - mine, for instance, wouldn’t let me play three sports in high school unless I had a 4.0, so I wound up never playing football; a policy to which I attribute the life-long damage I did my right knee in college when, feeling like I’d failed to adequately satisfy the urge to strap on pads and knock helmets, I shredded all significant ligaments playing intramurals - but as institutional doctrine, these requirements smack to me not only of hypocrisy but also of lousy pedagogical practice.
Ann Arbor, according to its school board and superintendent, is a data-driven district, which means we spend thousands of dollars a year collecting data in order to inform how we implement both curricula and, allegedly, discipline practices. I say allegedly because I suspect a lot of our, well, let’s call them behavioral management policies - hat rules and going-out-to-lunch rules to name another pair, but that’s for another essay - are based less on scientific analysis than on emotional tenet.Â
I don’t think we have any data in this area, but I’d love to see what grade point averages for athletes are in comparison to the general student population, and, more specifically, I’d like to see the percentage of kids who fail off a team and, in response, work to raise their grades in order to rejoin that team, in comparison to kids who fail off a team and then continue to fail, or watch their grades plummet even further and eventually drop out of school. In my experience, far greater numbers of students fall into the second category than the first and, in fact, the Pioneer coach I was talking to, said he’s never seen a kid fail off a team and then successfully raise his/her GPA enough to later rejoin it. What he has seen is borderline students successfully lobby teachers to change their grades so they can remain eligible, the kind of decision I admit I probably make three or four times a year.
I don’t feel guilty about making that kind of decision, by the way, even if a kid may not be particularly borderline, and I don’t think I’ve ever made it because I care how his/her team does in an upcoming competition. I follow Pioneer sports only to the extent I go to concerts or theater productions; that is, if I know one of my students is involved, I like to check out what he/she’s doing because I think it enhances my ability to connect to that student.Â
I also enjoy feeling more generally connected to the Pioneer community. When I’m sitting in a packed auditorium at Future Stars, or in the bleachers at a softball game, I feel like I’m humming and flowing with the life-blood of the school and I’m proud to work there, inspired to get up every morning and to go to class prepared to give my best. I suspect kids involved in such activities feel that way too, which begs the question that if the strongest connection to the school community for a kid who struggles academically is an extra-curricular activity, then what makes us think the best idea is to eliminate that activity in order for the kid to better succeed in class?
Seriously.
I’ve seen it over and over again. A kid comes to school primarily because he/she loves to play a particular sport, then loses academic eligibility to play that sport, then stops coming to school. We are experiencing a drop-out crisis in this country. That data is clear. Why would we ever deprive a kid of a reason to keep himself in school, to keep showing up and feeling proud and connected to the community and, yes, even potentially one day to feel inspired enough to come to class and to want to give his best?
But, no, the argument goes, the purpose of school is academic learning, not sports. If a kid can’t get it done in class, he/she shouldn’t be allowed to frolic around the field. Sports are fun. Learning is life. We do kids a disservice if we don’t ensure they succeed in the classroom before allowing them to dribble a ball on the basketball court or to skate around the ice rink.
Really?
Does solving an algebraic equation inherently have more value than solving an opponent’s zone defense? Is the ability to construct a cohesive five-paragraph essay more valuable than the ability to construct a game-tying rally when you’re down five runs with two outs? Is my Creative Writing class more worthwhile for a kid’s growth than Water Polo practice?
Listen, don’t for a minute believe I don’t think Creative Writing is valuable. I’ve built my life around teaching it, and on learning how to become better at doing it myself. I wish every kid in the district would take my class. I think the world would be a far better place if everybody spent more time reading and writing.Â
Still, I also know an integral part of my identity, my drive, has grown out of my experiences in athletics. I know, for instance, that the discipline required to be awake writing this essay at 4:18 in the morning was built through hours spent drilling takedowns, reversals and pinning combinations in wrestling rooms.Â
Barack Obama played (plays) basketball. John McCain wrestled and so did John Irving. The first George Bush played collegiate baseball. Gerald Ford starred in the Big House. Check the data - a huge percentage of both congressional leaders and our nation’s top CEO’s were/are athletes. Read the studies about the myriad blessings of Title IX, about how the opportunity to participate in sports has helped so many girls and women confront issues surrounding body image and self-esteem.
I’m not saying there aren’t problems with contemporary athletic culture; of course, there are. Juiced-up roidheads making millions of dollars and then carrying unlicensed guns to night clubs, or organizing dog-fighting rings, or raping women, or driving souped-up SUVs a hundred-miles-per-hour - none of that’s any good.Â
But I maintain those high-profile stories are exceptions, not the rule. The vast majority of athletes - high school, collegiate and professional - work hard at what they do and gain immeasurable benefit from doing so. Many of the clichés are true. Sports do teach discipline, focus, teamwork, self-confidence. There’s valid reason to support them with our tax dollars. I’m a happier, healthier, more interesting person because I played sports. I want my son and daughter to play them too. Regardless of how things are going in the classroom.
This town lights up after a Michigan win. I can see it in the bounce of thousands of people streaming down my street. I can see the same light in myself at 4:50 a.m. as I think about what I’m going to do with my students in class tomorrow and as I push myself to wrap up this essay, to keep typing. One finger after the other. Proof-read. Fix mistakes. Get better. Keep typing.
Jeff Kass teaches Creative Writing at Pioneer High School and Eastern Michigan University and directs the Literary Arts Programs at The Neutral Zone. He will post new entries to this blog every Tuesday and Thursday morning throughout the school year.
Comments
Rosie
Wed, Oct 7, 2009 : 6:35 p.m.
"I Don't Need a Nanny" tried to make a point about the importance of keeping kids in school but didn't realize that his/her later arguments contradicted what he/she was attempting to accomplish in the argument. "Therefore, its better to allow them to keep playing sports (even if they get a bad GPA) in order to keep them in school." He/she goes on to say that someone without a high school diploma will have great difficulty obtaining a good job and that really in today's society, it is almost necessary to have a college education. This certainly is true. Yet how does "I Don't Need a Nanny" believe that students will get into college if they only made it through high school because teachers inflated their grades to allow them to play in sports? These students will not have the skills necessary to be successful in college, if they even are able to matriculate.
Jim Mulchay
Wed, Oct 7, 2009 : 8:16 a.m.
Hers is a suggestion - Let Pioneer, Skyline and Huron retain whatever policies they currently have and create Ann Arbor Central HS out of Community, Roberto Clemente and Stone School with athletic programs. Let the new Central HS have the most lenient policies allowed by the MHSAA; those students who want to stay in school to participate in sports can attend the Central HS programs.
notnecessary
Wed, Oct 7, 2009 : 1:59 a.m.
I think a lot of you missed the point that Mr. Kass was trying to make: a lot of kids only go to school to play sports, if they can't play sports they'll drop out. Therefore, its better to allow them to keep playing sports (even if they get a bad GPA) in order to keep them in school. I think there is some merit to this argument. Why not give kids the opportunity to finish school? A kid with a high school diploma has a way better chance than someone without one.And to all the people touting the importance of education in schools, I mean I really don't think that much great educating is happening in our schools anyways. School is more about the social interactions and learning how people interact. Nobody will be able to get a great job with just a high school diploma these days. They teach really no skills (like technical things) and very few great jobs will look at someone without some college. I've recently graduated from PiHi (2004) and was in the top 5% of my class, but I don't think most of my traditional education type learning did I learn in school. By far the most valuable part of high school was figuring out, understanding, and ultimately exploiting (in a positive sense) the social structure of people in the school. And since entering the "real world" of a job, I've learned that high-school drama never seems to leave - it only intensifies with age.
eCoaster
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 7:26 p.m.
Wallaby (and Kass, for that matter) - you might want to read LeBron James' book "Shooting Stars" or see the documentary "MORE THAN A GAME". Both emphasize the importance of education and character-building experience (excluding grade grubbing) to being a successful person later in life. Not just for superstardom.
A2Dave
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 5:54 p.m.
It is a school, not a sports camp. Sport is important to health, but education is the primary--indeed overwhelming--mission of schools. Period. Taxes fund schools for a social purpose,the education of productive citizens. Funding someone's participation in sport while not requiring them to achieve educational goals and benchmarks is a waste of the tax payers' money.
eCoaster
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 5:04 p.m.
I am finding it hard to believe, on a number of levels, that a teacher would openly admit to changing a student's grade in order for that student to continue playing a varsity sport. I thought it was the teacher's job to set the standard, not lower it. This sends a message that, ultimately, grades are not earned, but given at the teacher's discretion (ie. result of favoritism or a policy bent). It would be one thing if this teacher confided his grade-changing transgression to colleagues or other adults, which would surely provoke the kind of discussion he is after with a story like this one. In my opinion, to put it out there for all of his students to see is not "cool" or "open-minded", but irresponsible.
Dmitri
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 4:16 p.m.
Damn Kass, judging from these comments you opened up a pretty big can of worms. I'm not exactly sure what my view is on this subject, as I never played on a team in high school. As for the rest of you that accuse Jeff Kass of academic fraud, or want him to prove that his class isn't an automatic A, I can personally vouch for having worked for my A. An hour or two of writing a week (minimum) outside of class, class participation almost every day with constructive criticism and in-class writing, as well as a end of the semester 20+ page portfolio are all requirements for an A. For an "elective", that's work that I gladly put in and bettered myself with.
aareader
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 1:18 p.m.
I agree with "SemperFi" and "Rosie." As an educator I learned sports are an important learning opportunity for students. The best learning experience for students is gained by a mix of both areas.
jeremy
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 1:17 p.m.
Look at our athletes nowadays, its obvious that some were given things that weren't earned and they act the way they do because of it. Giving a kid a good grade instead of them earning it is enabling them and not helping them learn responsibility. I seriously hope that the school board looks at this teacher and he has to prove his students earned their grades
DagnyJ
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 1:03 p.m.
Wow. School is about basketball. I didn't realize that. I thought school was about education.
Rosie
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 11:49 a.m.
I am a teacher and have had numerous students come to me whining about not being eligible to play because of the grade in my class- You gave me a D and now I cant play basketball! I say "whining" because these are students who sit in my class every day and chose to socialize, write notes to friends, play with their cell phones, etc., instead of do their work or participate in class. They almost never turn in assignments and only half-heartedly do the assignments that they do turn in. Many of these students are capable of earning a B in my class, not C- kids. They never ask for assistance in class, do not arrange to come have lunch with me for help, and never take advantage of staying after school. Playing the sport is their top priority. Academic work comes much farther down the list after friends, television, the computer, video games, etc. I will not change a student's grade when they have not put forth the effort. Teachers all make exceptions for students based upon a number of factors that affect students' performance in our classes. But we do that on a day-to-day basis. We don't wait until after a report card or progress report comes out to make allowances for a student who was sick for a few weeks, had a death in the family, had to move to a shelter, etc. So the grade on that piece of paper is the grade the student earned. I make it clear to students that grades are not given out but earned based upon the effort the student puts into his/her work. Jeff might be trying to make a point that the academic subjects should not be regarded as more important than sports, the arts, music, etc. I certainly agree that all subjects a school offers are of importance. But what Jeff fails to show students when he changes a grade at the last minute in order to allow a student to play is that the students have a responsibility to put forth their best effort in everything, not just those things they enjoy. I tell my students I understand if they dont love math, or that history is boring to them, but I explain that it is important for them to study a variety of things so when they are older, and specifically when they go to college, they will be able to make informed decisions about what they want to study, what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Like a previous poster said, the students will not be successful later in life if we do not hold them to a standard in school. What message are we sending students if they believe that complaining to the teacher to change their grade is a better route to take than putting forth the effort to earn the passing grade? Imagine if things outside of school operated like that. A person fails to complete tasks at work and they ask the boss to ignore that fact and give them a few vacation days, a raise, or a promotion. Is a C- too high of a standard for our students? If it is, then I suppose I would like to go somewhere where the standards are higher. Here I could begin a rant about how the lowering of standards is what has put our nation far behind other nations in terms of overall academic achievement, but I dont want to open another can of worms. I am not saying that playing sports should be considered a perk, but students need to be able to read and write before we worry about them bouncing a ball. As Chris stated, many students will not be going to college to play sports. Even if a few students are, all students need to be equipped with the academic skills necessary to help them succeed. Unless universities start offering a Bachelors in Ball Handling, I will continue to stress that students earn the passing grade in order to participate in school sports.
SemperFi
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 11:31 a.m.
Not much in the way of food for thought, actually. It's a typical anarchistic view of wanting things your way without having to follow any kind of structure. A big part of playing team sports is being responsible to your teammates and proving you will carry your weight when thinggs get tough. Any kid that will show the slightest effort and responsibility can pull a 2.0 at PiHi. There are plenty of people willing to help and vast amounts of resources spent to help kids achieve academically. Sorry Jeff, you're puffing up some kid's fantasy to encourage them to think that they can blow off academics and just come to school to play sports. Wrong message! And you're sitting there at 4:50 a.m. wondering what to do with your students in a few hours? I'm not so sure that you're going to be much good to them with only a couple hours sleep. But it won't matter because you'll give them a passing grade anyway.
KaceeB
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 11:30 a.m.
Non-sports extra-curricular activities are not subject to the same GPA requirement as sports - why the discrepancy? A kid who is going through rough times (family illness, job loss, etc) outside of school may have trouble focusing on schoolwork, and having sports as a physical outlet may help them cope with life better. Sports practices keep kids supervised after school is out - and nothing guarantees that someone kicked off a team will spend that time studying. An athlete who just isn't "wired" to excel in one particular subject area may never manage better than a D (which IS a passing grade), but may dumb-down their class choices in other subjects to ensure that their overall GPA stays high enough to be eligible. Some aspects of high school grades don't necessarily reflect actual learning - grades can be lowered by work handed in late, a forgotten assignment or when the student is overwhelmed by multiple tests on the same day. Instead of automatically being kicked off the team, why not notify parents so thay can work together with the student, coach and teachers (of the classes where the student is struggling) to help the student-athlete succeed academically?
Otto Mobeal
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 11:13 a.m.
Are you arguing for students to participate in sports with less than a 2.0 GPA? Really? Doesn't less than a 2.0 really mean that they are just too lazy to care? Special needs kids can perform greater than a 2.0! I glad that we now know that high drop rates are directly correlated to academic ineligibility, now we can create some sports only schools where there is no academic requirements - but some really great football! Look at the girls sports, boys swim, boys tennis, etc. how many academic ineligibles do you see? Probably one every year to two? This is like arguing for teachers that are lazy, absent, incompetent to keep their great paying AA jobs. * * oh, never mind...
Rizzle
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 10:31 a.m.
What if I was a borderline student, meaning I had a 3.9 and I wanted to get into Harvard or MIT, but I had a better chance if I had a 4.0, could I get Jeff to switch my B to an A?
KarenH
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 9:59 a.m.
@buck1, it certainly appears that way. "What he has seen is borderline students successfully lobby teachers to change their grades so they can remain eligible, the kind of decision I admit I probably make three or four times a year." That looks like an admission that he is changing the grades of borderline students, just so that they can continue to play sports. Not good.
jeremy
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 8:19 a.m.
So is it me or did this guy just admit to commiting academic fraud for a high school player to remain eligible and that he does it 3-4 times a year???? I would certainly hope this isnt true as you really aren't doing the student a favor, but enabling them. This is what is wrong with our athletes today. This is why most athletes feel they can do whatever they want to do without there being any consequences. I truly hope that someone at Pioneer will look at this teacher's comments. No way should a teacher change a grade for a kid to play a sport
Chris Blackstone
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 7:53 a.m.
Is this essay really arguing that there no should be no academic standards to play sports? I certainly hope not. While coaches might like it, society as a whole would definitely be the worse for it. Most high school athletes won't play sports in college, much less in the pros. If we don't expect them to at least put minimal effort into their studies, there's almost no chance for their gainful employment after high school.
Wolverine3660
Tue, Oct 6, 2009 : 7:42 a.m.
Food for thought. Good job, Jeff