The importance of hard work was instilled upon me by my parents. My mom graduated from high school but my dad only attended school through the eighth grade. That was normal for many kids born in the late teens and twenties. They wanted more for my two sisters and me. They encouraged me to work hard in school which by most accounts, including my grade point average, fell on deaf ears. I never “studied hard” or got great grades. I did all of my required work and achieved what I achieved by doing the minimum. I was bright. Capable of doing more. But I preferred to just get by. My teachers and my mom saw “my potential” and discussed it with me at great length. “If you only apply yourself, you’ll achieve great things.” I remember telling my mom one day, “I don’t want my friends to think I’m too smart.” Mission accomplished. They didn’t.
I was in the cub scouts and boy scouts. Being involved in scouting provided me with another way to learn – through experience. Even there I did my best to avoid things that required “study”. One time we put on a play that involved pirates attacking and boarding a sailing ship. The scout leader wanted me to play the part of the captain of the ship that was being attacked. The opening scene had the captain speaking to his first mate about their journey. The role required memorizing lines that would set the stage for the entire play and make me “the star”. I didn’t want to have anything to do with it. The scout leader spoke to my mom and she encouraged me to take on the role. No dice. I wanted to be one of the pirates that attacked and boarded the ship. None of the pirates had any lines to memorize and I preferred that option.
When I was in the fourth grade the scouts put on a minstrel show. (Try doing that today.) I remember that this took place while I was in the fourth grade because I broke my ankle while trick or treating on Halloween. I ended up in a walking cast following the break and appeared on stage in my cast. I had agreed to serve as the “only white face” in the “black face” minstrel show. I served as the Interlocutor. The Interlocutor was the “straight man” and the key figure in the variety show. I agreed because they allowed me to have the script at my feet for reference.
I still remember one exchange that went like this.
“Mr. Interlocutor, did you ever notice Mr. Martin’s big feet.”
“Well, yes. Now that you mention it, Mr. Martin’s feet are rather large.”
“Large! Large!! That man’s feet are magnaminous!!!” (sic)
When I was older, I moved up to boy scouts. I loved the boy scouts. We went camping, earned merit badges, and marched to cool rhyming chants. Fun stuff. We told ghost stories and jokes around a camp fire. Winter camping took place in bunk houses and summer camping required tents. My dad went winter camping one week-end with us. He did all of the cooking and most of the dish washing for our troop. That’s the only time that I ever went camping with my dad. I can still see him cooking chili and washing out the big pot after the evening meal. I think that he acquired his skill in the kitchen while serving in the army.
My merit badges included: cooking, reading, camp fire making, and horsemanship. There were over a hundred opportunities to earn merit badges and I earned four. I took the path of least resistance and did what I had to do to earn the four, including eating “almost” raw chicken on the final test for my cooking merit badge. The camp fire making and cooking badges were earned through the same project. You had to build a fire in order to do the cooking. My big claim to fame was that I learned how to bridle and saddle a horse, and get him to walk, canter and gallop.
The thing I enjoyed most about scouting was the “doing” part. I didn’t want to study. I just wanted “to do”.
Eventually, I did do just what I needed to do to move on. I was never in a place that I would truly call failure. My high school grade point average was 2.27, college undergrad 2.54, masters program 3.8 and Specialist degree 4.0. My success as a student was measured in numbers with decimal points. I expect that had my mom known of my gradual grade improvement she would have approved. She, and the teachers of my early years, would have seen me reach my potential.
The truth of the matter is I started “doing” things. The “doing” was driven by my desire to “do” more. As the “doing” increased so did my grades. I was engaged and found purpose. I expect that most of us who have found satisfaction in our life have done so by moving forward to accomplish our goals.
I joined organizations in college, took on leadership roles, and loved the experience. When I became a teacher I taught outside of the book, as a principal I strove to garner a staff that worked together to make learning exciting, and as a superintendent I worked to improve the culture so that everyone was proud of who they were and who they planned to become. There was always more “to do”.
If you’re lucky, you have things to accomplish, goals to achieve, things “to do” throughout your entire life. Things to get up for each morning and people to share your accomplishments. As for me, I plan to keep on “doing” – to keep on keepin on.