Homeschool Zoo Annex: Heroes

Friday, September 17, 2010

Heroes

I heard some rather bothersome news from a co-worker. Her son is in peewee football and the other night they played a scrimmage game. Her son, and over a dozen other kids, were left benched for that game and told they might as well get used to it because they wouldn't be playing much during the regular season.

Am I wrong, or does this seem grossly out of place for a peewee team? I responded that it's not the NFL and that every child should have some play time at this level. How would a coach know if a kid might have some potential that's just waiting to be brought out? How can he predict that those dozen or so kids can't play at all? I don't think he can.

So, I started thinking about sports legends and other people who made a difference in the world, even after a rocky start in life. These people teach us that heroes aren't heroes until the time comes to be one. They also teach us that perseverance pays off in the end and that being a human is part of the equation.

I looked around the web and found a site that has some great stories about "heroes" and even some lesson plans you can use in your language arts, social studies, art, and media courses. The site is called My Hero, simply enough, and it's full of stories, pictures, and the above-mentioned resources to inspire and encourage children and young people to greater accomplishments.