I tweeted this link to an article written by Greg Couch, but
here it is through another medium.
So, I realized tonight that I hadn't gotten my 5 minimum
posts, so here is another. Although I am rather happy to post, as it allows me
to give my thoughts about the recent "Linsanity" and my personal
biases....
Jeremy Lin is one of 4 Harvard grads to make it to the NBA.
(You are, statistically, more likely to become the President of the U.S. than
you are to become a professional basketball player if you are someone who
graduates from Harvard). His first six games as a professional are among the
best in the world.
You can read the article for specifics, and the author does
some great analysis that makes you think. For example, Couch wonders, after
noting that Lin is an Asian-American, "How many scouts look at a guy like
Lin, or even looked at Lin himself, and passed because he didn't look the part?
How many college coaches? None offered him a scholarship out of high
school...In fact; it makes you wonder how deep these stereotypes sit in our
sports psyche. Do parents, who more and more keep specializing their young kids
in sports, steer them into stereotypes? How much greatness is missed?"
As someone who loves the world of sports, the game of
basketball being the least of possible exceptions, I would hate to imagine
being one of those kids that Couch contemplates gets overlooked because of the
way he/she looked off the basketball court. It should be your quality of play
that determines your basketball respect.
I mean think about how many black basketball players would
we never have known unless Jackie Robinson and the color barrier was dropped.
Makes you think now "How many Jeremy Lins have we missed during our blind
steering toward stereotypes.
I have biases. I don't know if I have acknowledged them in
my 4+ posts (or if I ever want to, as I feel that gives them more credibility),
but I work all the time to get rid of them. I try always to remember the golden
rule.
I had a friend whose dad was a mathematician. He was a great
person to talk about because he always formulated his own opinion based off of
his personal inquiry and experiences; he never came off as one with
preconceived notions. If he wanted to know something about you, he asked
nicely. If he wanted to know what you thought about particular subject, he did
so cordially. It made me think about how I can be less likely to succumb to my
own preconceived notions, because it limits your ability to truly connect with
an individual.
I am going to bring this mentality toward my future
students, as I've had good time to practice my preach/reflect on my experiences
with this gentleman, which has been over a year now since his passing (5+ year
bout with cancer).
We need to provide equity in the classroom. Lin was
privileged in that he didn't rely on his basketball skills to support himself.
He made sure to go to college, something many of our student-athletes forget to
do.
I want to educate kids so that they can try to understand
this world, and to teach them beliefs need to originate from within, not from
media, parents, nor even teachers. Teachers just facilitate the liberating
process that is learning.
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