The Big Fresh February 27, 2016 The Game of Life

If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you will never change the outcome.                        

                                        Michael Jordan

                                                                       
We’re heading into March Madness, that nutty time when impossible dreams come true for some basketball players and their obsessive fans. My vote this winter for the most captivating basketball player (and fan!) goes to Aaron Miller.  He is the boy in the photo who is meeting LeBron James – have you ever seen an expression of such pure joy and disbelief on anyone’s face?

I was skimming the newspaper a few months ago and was instantly drawn into Aaron’s story. Aaron is 16 years old. He had a stroke shortly after he was born, and doctors told his parents, “Aaron will never be able to walk or talk – he will always be severely disabled.” The parents refused to accept this prognosis. They moved near a world-class hospital in Boston to work with a different team of physicians.  After many surgeries and treatments, Aaron began walking when he was almost five, and from then on he made rapid physical and cognitive progress. But even before he could walk, young Aaron loved to spend hours throwing baskets through a small hoop on the bureau near his bed.

In the moment captured on film, LeBron jogged over to hug Aaron and show him respect. Aaron had been recognized as an “Everyday Hero” at a Boston Celtics game during a break in the action. LeBron heard a bit of his story as he was in a huddle with teammates, and was inspired by Aaron’s perseverance. Now in high school, Aaron plays basketball and golf on teams for students with disabilities.

I can’t imagine the grit it takes to refuse to accept the prognosis of experts – it must look a lot like madness. But what if those doctors, instead of predicting a grim future for Aaron, had said, “Your son will grow up to be so remarkable that one day the greatest basketball player of his generation will honor him in front of thousands of fans?” Crazy, but that is exactly what happened. THAT is reality.

Aaron’s father was quoted in the Boston Globe when asked how his son felt about meeting LeBron. He said, “The whole thing has left Aaron just in awe, but he really appreciates it. He’s not a kid that likes the spotlight or anything. He’s just happy in his own quiet world, and this really kind of made him shine.”

March is the season of basketball madness, and it’s also a time of heavy testing in schools. I think one of the reasons teachers can get pretty defiant about tests is that they are by definition limiting – often only a few students can excel. Exams are used to sort, predict, and sometimes close out options very early in lives and careers.   But in the quiet world of a classroom, anyone can shine daily, and anything is possible.  Aaron Miller failed almost every physical and cognitive test given to him shortly after birth. It’s a good thing to remember when we begin to fixate too much on what the children in front of us can’t do . . . yet.

This week we look at ways to keep a healthy perspective on learning during the testing season. Plus more as always — enjoy!

Brenda Power

Founder, Choice Literacy

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