About Your Kids: What you see is what you get

It was a bull riding school. No kidding. Talk about your school of hard knocks.

The instructor was a seasoned professional who travels the country hosting weekend workshops for competitive rodeo contestants as well as would-be cowboys. Most students were in their 20s but one or two were as young as 12 or 13. Some were firefighters or businessmen looking for an extreme-sport adrenaline fix. And of course there were a couple who just wanted to be able to tuck their thumbs in their belt loops, cock their head to one side and say, “Yeah, I used to ride 'em.”

Whatever their background or motivation for showing up, students got their money's worth picking dirt out of their teeth and themselves up off the ground - after, of course, a heavy dose of “safety first.”

Safety?

It had to do with being prepared, not goofing off and keeping your mind - not to mention your back pockets - in the middle of what you were doing.

Sounded a lot like math and science to me, but with maybe a little more excitement.

Early in the day the instructor climbed up on a chute gate, hooked the heel of his boot between the planks, looked the closest kid in the eye and said, “The bottom line is, whatever you do in rodeo is directly related to the discipline, sacrifice and effort you put into it.”

Hmm. Maybe I could get this guy to come to my language arts class.

After he schooled the students in equipment care, mental preparation, riding technique and dismount, he let them make a practice run on the bucking machine before tying down on the real thing.

“Keep your eye on the bull,” he told them, and then he explained.

Our head follows our eyes and our body follows our head. Therefore, a bull rider watches the 1,800 pounds of hoof and horn he's tied to, not the dirt. Watch the dirt and you'll be eating it.

I couldn't help but think of a cliff-hanging hero yelling to a cliff-hanging heroine in a late-night thriller, “Don't look down!”

And I couldn't help but think of a few kids who don't understand why they're failing math or history or spelling.

“How could I get a D on the test?”

“Did you study the vocabulary, read over your notes, write out key words, practice with a friend?”

“What words?”

I rest my case.

After a weekend of pile driving rides, motivational lectures and pointers on goal setting, the bull-riding students nursed their wounds and pride and rode off into the sunset, back to their regular jobs as teenagers, businessmen and firefighters.

Getting people to focus on what's important is a challenge in any arena, whether the carpet is dirt or nylon. But it's a challenge that must be met with our kids before they fall out of school with no hope of a future.

Who are your kids following? What are they watching? Where are they looking?

Do you know?

Let's help our children learn that if they don't stay focused on their goal, they'll miss it. Let's teach them how to look beyond the neighborhood tough guys and into future possibilities. Let's show them that with a little self-discipline, sacrifice and effort, they can get up, dust themselves off, and set out after a dream.

Davalynn Spencer is a Tulare County public school teacher. Questions or comments can be sent to her at aboutyourkids@Hotmail.com.

This story was published in The Porterville Recorder on May 9, 2006