My son and I had the opportunity to attend a Cubs game last weekend where they played the St. Louis Cardinals. WHAT. A. GAME!!!! It was amazing. It was 0-0 for 5 innings, then they fell behind for 2 innings, then amazingly they took the lead and won the game. We stood for 2 entire innings. I LOVE sports. We always take a sports vacation. It started with the Padres, then the Cardinals, the Nationals, Boston and most recently the CUBS. What made this one so special was the fact that these guys are world champions. The are the World Series CHAMPIONS!
We went on a stadium tour and I learned a few things....
The Cubs are a historic organization. So much history. Back in 1937, they would fly the W flag to alert people of the Cubs winning, the W will stay up until the next game. If they lose, that flag (L) is up for a 'short' period of time and is lowered so as to not dwell on the loss.
The phrase #FlyTheW came to life around 2015, and many retailers jumped on the bandwagon as you can see them all over town and on shirts. If you have any interest in baseball or just happen to see the historic series with the Cubs and Indians last season you may have seen many people flying the W. The Cubs had such a historic season the flags were flying and the song blasting after the win is
"Go Cubs Go". (This is a MUST listen to, but an entirely different story)
The entire game in the outfield was one huge celebration. Things didnt always work out for the team the way they were supposed to, but the fans were always ready to raise the W.
I started thinking about that attitude of winning vs. losing and how much time we dwell on both. When we do something good, we should RAISE THAT FLAG! Celebrate it! Enjoy it, get ready for the next test. Being a teacher and thinking about students, this can look very differently for each kid. But, as teachers, we need to show them how to RAISE THAT FLAG! When a kid enters my classroom, I want them to believe they are amazing and worthy. Give them that high 5 and celebrate whatever needs to be celebrated! Now, when things don't go so well and we lose..... Raise that flag too. Admit it, reflect on it and fix what needs to be fixed so we can #RaiseTheW. When failure happens and it will, lets help kids build on that and see how they can move in the right direction. Raise the L but don't dwell on it!
The history of the Cubs gives us an example that change may take time, losing happens, but when you win it is a great feeling, especially when you work so hard! Isn't it our jobs as teachers to help kids see those moments to be celebrated? How about you #RaiseTheW for kids this year and show them how amazing that can be!
#stepitupJMS
#FlyTheWJMS