Sometime in the 2010s I became a huge Minnesota Twins fan. Yes, I was a fan in the late 80s and early 90s – how could you not be when they were winning their two World Championships?! – but I really began to consistently follow player development and acquisitions, watch games, and notice strategy in the 10s. It certainly helped that they won the Central Division in ‘02, ‘03, ‘04, ‘06, ‘09, and ‘10. Looking back, it surprises me that this has happened as I had played Little League baseball and did not like it when I was young, and as both a high school and youth coach, baseball was never among the sports I coached.
On September 6, 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played. Gehrig played 2,130 games in a row. Then Ripken came along and played 2,632 in a row. According to MLB.com, the most current streak was 553 games for Whit Merrifield of the Kansas City Royals. No one will ever break either Gehrig’s or Ripken’s games played. It is just not how the game is played any longer. It is not how the players are trained, it is not how the managers coach, the injuries that are sustained are different, and the fans view the game in a different way some thirty years later.
Much the same can be said about many topics, including education. Student engagement, stamina, and enjoyment are different. The educational tools and resources are not the same. Society as a whole has changed so, so much. In the 20th century, learning was pretty linear, stationary, and deductive. Now there are many avenues in learning with students needing to move and also be inductive. The 20th century focus was on the What, and now it is on the Why. There has been a shift from local to global, other-directed to self-directed, and from fairly predictable to definitely unpredictable.
As a society, whether discussing education or other topics, these 20th century ways are still a big part of how one thinks and acts. They are not wrong; however, one should spend some time and process the 20th century with the 21st. For example, back to baseball, it struck me during a Twins’ playoff game this fall when one commentator referenced Jack Morris’s fantastic Game 7 of the ‘91 playoffs, pitching into the tenth inning. The other commentator mentioned this "will never happen again" because the minor leagues are not training pitchers that way and managers are not approaching the games in the same manner. Starting pitchers go into the fifth and maybe into the sixth or seventh innings, and only rarely does a pitcher ever get into an eighth inning, let alone a complete game. Yet, I am watching and wondering why they are not pitching into those later innings. I am thinking they are wrong, when arguably the game I am watching is not the same game that is being played. I need to spend some time adjusting my thinking so the game I am viewing is the same game being played.
I recently read an article about nostalgia, and it interestingly stated that feeling nostalgic can cause one to get stuck in the past and/or to not enjoy the present. I like nostalgia, especially when it comes to movies and music and television shows. But I paused, thinking back to the Twins, when I read that comment: Am I stuck in the past? How can I simultaneously embrace what once was while letting it go so I can live in the present? How can I help make positive changes when nostalgia is so strong?
Weeks at a Glance
- Monday, December 4 - No school: Teacher Professional Development
- Wednesday, December 6 - Student Athletes: Eligibility Warnings
- Friday, December 8 - Winter Fine Arts Concerts: Choir Performances @ 7:00 pm
- Monday, December 4 - No school: Teacher Professional Development
- Tuesday, December 12 - Information/Tour Night for prospective students @ 5:30 pm
- Friday, December 15 - Student Council Winter Dance @
- Special Message - help us spread the word to neighbors, friends, family and community: Spectrum High School and Spectrum Middle School 2024-25 enrollment applications for NEW students are due January 31, 2024 (to be included in the February 15, Enrollment Lottery (Spectrum Application Link). If you have any questions, check out the website, sign up to attend an Information and Tour Session, give us a call at 763.241.8703, or send an email to the Spectrum Registrar to learn more.