Teamwork makes the dream work
Kentucky School Advocate
February 2022
By Kerri Schelling
KSBA Executive Director
If you are a football fanatic like me, you love this time of year because the Super Bowl is right around the corner. Twelve months’ worth of hopeful anticipation that my team will be “the one” in the biggest football game of the year.
It’s not simply the display of gridiron prowess that I enjoy or the sense of community with others who wear my team’s colors. It’s the accompanying stories of the players that draw me in; the personal connections created through media coverage that make die-hard supporters of the most casual fans. With each game we glimpse who they are when they aren’t wearing the uniform. We often learn about their personal tragedies and triumphs. We learn of adversity overcome. We see images of families and coaches instrumental in the individual’s trajectory. We are inspired by the commitment teammates demonstrate towards one another. We gain an appreciation for what has led these athletes to their magic moments. It’s that depth of fandom where we become invested in their success on – and off – the field.
The feeling that we know the players and the advantage we believe they bring to our favorite teams makes it all the more disappointing when an athlete sinks below our lofty expectations. After all, it’s easy to forget that they are human beings, just like us. Cameras will catch athletes screaming at each other following a botched play and teammates coming to blows on the sidelines. Microphones pick up remarks that shouldn’t be said. More than once following a game, I’ve watched a player speak critically of other players or question a coach’s decisions to the press. Recently, I even watched in shock as a player ripped off his jersey and left the stadium mid-game over disagreements with others in the organization.
The impact of such displays? A breakdown in team cohesion. Doubt by once-faithful supporters. Distraction from the ultimate goal. And hard questions about the competence of leadership. A passionate belief in a goal and the frustration when it seems out of reach can bring out the worst in us, and no group of individuals acting as one body is immune.
Tensions grow high during each year’s regular legislative session of the General Assembly. High-stakes public education legislation makes the 2022 session no exception. What can start as one’s valid critique of policy can quickly escalate to personal attacks of colleagues with opposing views – colleagues with whom we must continue to work if we are to move public education forward. When those entrusted with the responsibility of moving districts, the Commonwealth and the country forward seem more interested in scoring points and landing jabs than advancing the mission at hand, the public may feel cheated that their elected leaders are not performing to the team’s potential. But when they rise above political divisiveness and work together for the greater good, it’s a win in anybody’s book.
For a football team and their fans, there is no greater prize for their years of hard work than the Lombardi Trophy. For a school board team and their community, there is no greater prize for their years of hard work than a high school diploma for each student that comes through their doors. As you consider your gameplan for district success, keep in mind that board service is a team sport requiring the collective strength, skills and commitment of all its members. The fans are counting on you.