You just won the SEC football championship and your defense
is being discussed as one of the greatest in the modern era, so maybe you would
think that you deserve to sleep in a bit the following day. Well, you don’t
think this way if you are Jeremy Pruitt, Defensive Coordinator for the
top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
Less than 12 hours after winning the championship game
against the University of Florida in Atlanta, GA, Mr. Pruitt was walking into the
football complex at the University of Alabama. An ESPN reporter commented that
she and her crew arrived at 5:00 AM to set up for live coverage beginning at
noon and were stunned when Mr. Pruitt showed up to work at 6:15 AM—on a Sunday
morning. After winning the SEC championship. This is why winners win.
None of us are coaching in a nationally televised conference
championship game anytime soon, but as educators we are all—each of us—involved
in a high stakes industry. What we do—and leave undone—has tremendous
consequences for the children under our care. There is no doubt that teacher
salaries are not commensurate with Mr. Pruitt’s but their responsibilities are
far more important, so ideally we should possess the same passion for
excellence.
Most likely all of us are getting ready for a well-deserved
winter break. Perhaps some of us are thinking about how glad we will be to walk
out and not walk back in for approximately two weeks. I have no doubt the
educators I know and work with on a daily basis deserve this break; they may
even need this break. However, if you
want to be great at what you do, this upcoming winter break is a great time to
recalibrate and adjust your course for the remainder of the academic year.
What is on your to-do list for the break? Most everybody
works hard during the season, that is when school is in session; but the
difference makers take advantage of these breaks to reflect upon and perfect
their craft. I wish you the best this holiday season!
