By Joan E. Schmidt
06/28/05 -- I became a marathon runner quite by accident. I had just taken office as president of my state school boards association, and I was speaking to the Delegate Assembly about the parallels between K-12 education and a marathon.
Suddenly, I heard myself blurt out a promise: “I am going to run a marathon during my year as president of this association.”
Now, in my family, we always keep our word. No matter what. Even if the promise involves running 26.2 miles. So I began looking for an easy training program. And I discovered there is no shortcut to the level of conditioning that prepares one to go the full distance.
That year, I logged a lot of miles on the gravel roads near my home. And the neighbors thought I had taken leave of my senses.
But along the way, I learned that endless miles of training aren’t enough. The formula for success includes a nutritious diet along with a rich variety of supportive physical activities, including weightlifting, careful stretching of muscle and sinew, plenty of restorative rest -- and a healthy dose of mental and emotional toughness.
By the way, the answer is Yes. I really did complete a marathon that year.
This whole notion of education as a marathon had started with a moment of reflection as I looked at a group of kindergarten students embarking on the adventure that we call education.
I couldn’t help noticing the magnitude of their goal. They were not preparing for a single short-term goal -- a 100-yard dash, for example -- in which speed would suffice.
Rather, they were looking at an ever-changing image on the distant horizon, and they would need the kind of long-term training that develops strength, endurance, and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Those children were facing a “marathon,” and preparation for that marathon would involve educating the whole child.
In designing training programs for today’s students, the schools must look beyond their historic role as purveyors of basic skills.
Certainly, our graduates need to be as proficient as their predecessors in reading, writing, and performing mathematical calculations. There is nothing new about requiring students to build on the basic skills as they learn to analyze information, solve problems, and communicate in a variety of ways. These tenets have long been foundational to our educational programs.
But now the changes brought about by ever-evolving technological development mean that schools must prepare every student for a lifetime of educational growth.
The reality facing today’s graduates is that skills learned in school can no longer cushion them through a lifetime of productive work and responsible citizenship. Ready or not, every student has entered an educational marathon.
And I daresay that endless miles on the test preparation treadmill will not suffice. Our students need a full, rich curriculum that includes music and the arts. They need the understanding and habits that build physical and emotional health, and they need the mental stretching that takes them into the world of ideas.
I invite you to join me in meeting this challenge. My original decision to run a marathon was a symbolic gesture, an accident. But the marathon our nation’s children face is real. And for school boards, the responsibility is daunting.
This effort involves keeping a promise. No matter what. Even though it means developing a vision for accomplishing the impossible, for leading every single child through the marathon effort that is education. Even though it means preparing students for a lifetime of learning. Even though it means educating the whole child. Because this marathon is no accident; it must be run intentionally.