Okay, here is your must read over the Winter Break: David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants (2013, Gladwell)

 

From Amazon: "Gladwell's best-sellers, such as The Tipping Point (2000) and Outliers (2008), have changed the way we think about sociological changes and the factors that contribute to high levels of success. Here he examines and challenges our concepts of "advantage" and "disadvantage" in a way that may seem intuitive to some and surprising to others. Beginning with the classic tale of David and Goliath and moving through history with figures such as Lawrence of Arabia and Martin Luther King Jr., Gladwell shows how, time and again, players labeled "underdog" use that status to their advantage and prevail through the elements of cunning and surprise. He also shows how certain academic "advantages," such as getting into an Ivy League school, have downsides, in that being a "big fish in a small pond" at a less prestigious school can lead to greater confidence and a better chance of success in later life. Gladwell even promotes the idea of a "desirable difficulty," such as dyslexia, a learning disability that causes much frustration for reading students but, at the same time, may force them to develop better listening and creative problem-solving skills. As usual, Gladwell presents his research in a fresh and easy-to-understand context, and he may have coined the catchphrase of the decade, "Use what you got." --David Siegfried

 

Gladwell appeared on Fox & Friends this past Monday and had some truly interesting things to say about persistence, overcoming the odds and creativity. The book is very cool, first, because everyone loves an underdog. Second, because we are forever trying to crack the code of what leads to successful outcomes, especially when we feel the deck is stacked against us. Gladwell postulates that the ability to overcome adversity is critical.

Contrasting Gladwell's book with an article that appeared on www.cnn.com 

about Dave Ramsey's take on poverty was enlightening as well. What Dave Ramsey Gets Wrong about Poverty, by Rachel Held Evans, uses the phrase "systemic injustice" a lot. She excoriates Ramsey in the classic class warfare battle that's been raging hard since Reagan's tide lifted a lot of boats, alongside the rise of the 8088 microcomputer with VDT as the little engine that did. http://rachelheldevans.com/ 

            Which side of the fence you come down on is fine. The term du jour from academics used to be internal locus of control verses external locus of control. Sometimes you are the bat and sometimes you are the ball. Sometimes you are the windshield and sometimes you are the bug. Having an internal locus of control leads to feeling as if you control your destiny, and that is always more comforting and beneficial.

            Ms. Held Evans probably blew a gasket when she read the chapter in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People that spoke about having an abundance mentality. Basically, because someone else is rich doesn't mean you have to be poor. There is more than enough room for everyone to be successful, well fed, insured, educated and emotionally healthy. Of course nothing comes easy to those who must toil, but envy is a very useful tool and poisons relationships and makes youth believe that there is no way out when indeed there are plenty of ways out-you just slip out the back, Jack, make a new plan, Stan. No need to be coy, Roy...

            Most of us know the power of hard work, good decision making and providence. We all know those who've fallen into or earned wealth and those who have been ripped off by life's odd pageant of disasters. It would be folly not to tie this into College Tips, so, I read another article on www.weareteachers.com, titled, Is College Right for Every Student? The blog listed columns with, "Absolutely!" opposite, "Maybe Not..."

             Well, the answer is, yes, college is right for every student. Okay, cleared that up nicely.

            Nowhere in education is hopelessness welcomed. Everywhere in education, optimism is alive. Here, in this educational botanical garden, is found the great and rare systemic justicus, delicate orchid that it is. It abounds! But alas, it only grows in direct and optimistic sunlight. Thankfully, many of IRHS's products will go on to be successful in business and industry, taking over a family business, inventing new ways of doing and thinking, working for a non-profit, acting or performing on stage or just working for The Man, which is fine. That's the way it's always been done.

A few of our students will struggle financially, end up where no one should ever go, be saddened and haggard by relationships and circumstance and poor in wallet and spirit, which is terrible. But that's the way it's always been, too. Real economic justice is fickle and doesn't make everyone happy and successful, but it settles perfectly every time.

 

Guidance Wisdom,

Courtesy of Cheap Trick

 

            Fear not, Nighthawks, while you are youthful and gaining wisdom, you still have total upside potential, you still have Phoenix-like abilities to rise from ashes should you venture out and fail. You still have a strong back and bright eyes and mostly straight teeth! And, you have your dreams. So, prepare diligently to attend college, kids. Get yourself in a financially viable position to attend an affordable school and take the correct major and get out in two or four years and keep your nose to the grindstone so that you can overcome adversity as Gladwell said. You'll be more interesting when you do these things.

And, don't listen to everything adults tell you. There are tares among the wheat. There are naysayers and Goliaths everywhere, Killjoys abound. A quote from Cheap Trick's, Auf Wiedersehen comes to mind:

 

There are many here among us
Who feel that life is a joke
And for you we sing this final song
For you there is no hope
No hope

 

            That's right. No matter the naysayers bark or whisper, keep your chin up, student. Keep plugging away at your academic classes. Aspire to college and take direct action to get yourself there. Keep your head in the game because the spoils usually go the victors, the mudders among us. In fact, it's systemic.  

IRHS Boys Soccer Shred It Fundraiser:  Drive up. Dump off and Drive away.  Bring old tax returns, bank statements, and other confidential documents to have them shredded at Shred-it's onsite document destruction event. 
When?  Saturday December 7th from 8 am-12 pm. 
Where? Oro Valley Marketplace Walmart Parking Lot. 
How much?  $5 for a small box and $10 for a larger box.
Questions? Email Amy Davis @azdavisfamily@comcast.net. 
Thanks for supporting the Nighthawk Boys Soccer Team!

IRHS Boys Soccer team is selling IRHS Navy Blue Santa hats. Perfect fan gear for winter sports! Hats are $10-$12 each. Contact Tammy Bristow 850-5216 or email ktbristow@msn.com Hats will be available through December. Support the boys soccer team! 

JV & Varsity Wrestling @ Amphi, weigh-in at 3:30
Boys Soccer vs Palo Verde, home

Thursday, 12/5
Frosh Wrestling @ Pueblo

Friday, 12/6

Boys Soccer @ Nogales
Girls Soccer vs Sahuaro, home
Boys Basketball vs Basha, home
Girls Basketball @ Basha, Chandler, AZ

Saturday, 12/7
JV Wrestling @ Carl Hayden, Phoenix
Varsity Wrestling vs Red Mountain & Basha home  Weigh-in 9am

Monday, 12/9
Boys Basketball @ Sahuaro
Girls Basketball vs Sahuaro, home
Boys Soccer vs Casa Grande, home
Girls Soccer @ Casa Grande

Tuesday, 12/10
Boys Basketball vs Buena, home
Girls Basketball @ Buena, Sierra Vista, AZ

Wednesday, 12/11
Wrestling vs Catalina, Rincon & Vista Grande, home

Friday, 12/13
Boys Basketball @ Cienega
Girls Basketball vs Cienega, home
Boys Soccer vs Pueblo, home (Varsity only)
Girls Soccer @ Cienega
Wrestling @ Las Cruces, New Mexico (Varsity)

Saturday, 12/14
Boys Basketball @ Mountain Pointe, Phoenix
Wrestling @ Las Cruces, New Mexico (Varsity)

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