Nerves
In high school, my fencing coach used to say that if we weren’t nervous before a match, we were not taking it seriously enough. To my teenage and very competitive soul, this made little sense at the time. I had thought that after all of the training and success, nerves were a sign of weakness, or at the very least, a lack of confidence. We quickly learned Mr. Lilien was correct. The stress he was looking for was not meant to be debilitating. Instead, it was a reminder to our adolescent brains that someone else just might have worked harder than we had or might have more talent.
While there is really nothing quite like a “stress-free” day on vacation or even at work, our search for experiences that lack headwinds will leave our students uninspired and storyless with few opportunities to learn. Are we preparing our students for the thrill of standing up for their ideas or questioning what they had thought to be true without having found themselves in a position to manage a difficult situation? The best actors, athletes, debaters, and speakers that I know over prepare. They do this not to rid themselves of their nerves but rather to channel its electricity into confidence-giving fuel that quiets their minds.
Touting the additional vision provided, the Harvard fencing coach developed a mask with a clear face rather than the traditional mesh in front. Nonetheless I found it advantageous not to wear the new mask when I was competing against someone who did. While my competitor was able to see more in the most literal sense, I was able to see his eyes when he could not see mine at all. My nerves, my stress rested unseen behind my mask allowing me the chance to hold close the seriousness of the moment. “Scared? So is he!” my coach would say before each match.
Recognizing the importance of a moment takes courage and humility. Nourished appropriately, it does energize our drive to do better and to improve. And with that, we are prepared to take on the “complexities of a changing world with confidence and character.”
JWB
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While there is really nothing quite like a “stress-free” day on vacation or even at work, our search for experiences that lack headwinds will leave our students uninspired and storyless with few opportunities to learn. Are we preparing our students for the thrill of standing up for their ideas or questioning what they had thought to be true without having found themselves in a position to manage a difficult situation? The best actors, athletes, debaters, and speakers that I know over prepare. They do this not to rid themselves of their nerves but rather to channel its electricity into confidence-giving fuel that quiets their minds.
Touting the additional vision provided, the Harvard fencing coach developed a mask with a clear face rather than the traditional mesh in front. Nonetheless I found it advantageous not to wear the new mask when I was competing against someone who did. While my competitor was able to see more in the most literal sense, I was able to see his eyes when he could not see mine at all. My nerves, my stress rested unseen behind my mask allowing me the chance to hold close the seriousness of the moment. “Scared? So is he!” my coach would say before each match.
Recognizing the importance of a moment takes courage and humility. Nourished appropriately, it does energize our drive to do better and to improve. And with that, we are prepared to take on the “complexities of a changing world with confidence and character.”
JWB
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