Perspective Police

If I became President for a day I would create a special task force called the "Perspective Police". This group of well rounded individuals would have one task, smack some sense into anyone that loses perspective. Let me give you an example. I coach middle school football, 12 year olds to be exact. I lost some perspective on what I actually do for a small time the other day. We lost a game, I was upset, the whole ride home I just wanted to talk to people and complain about this player, this play, this ref, this blah blah.....I lost perspective. The kids I coach forgot about the loss the minute they got back and checked their text inbox. I teach the game of football to these kids, how to do it right, so when winning and losing actually matters they are winners. The Perspective Police should have pulled me over, drag me out of the car and hit me with a garbage bag full of mayo.

Example number two. I teach with great people. Last year our boss shuffled us up and asked us to teach some new things. A couple people couldn't that change and since then have been a center of negativity and whining because they aren't teaching what they want. The perspective police should have shown up at our building, call them down to the office and hit chalky erasers over their heads until we couldn't recognize them. There are hundreds of teachers being laid off a year that would kill to teach anything....get some perspective.

example number 3. I am starting to teach my students by using their cell phones in class. Sounds crazy, but it's not, the crazy thing is that we don't do it already. I asked parents for their permission/consent. I had a dad email me a 4 paragraph message basically telling me that I am forcing him to buy his kid a cell phone and I am hurting this generations ability to communicate. For the first time in my seven year career I feel like I've found the key to unlock their complete interest. I'm speaking their language and they are crazy about the idea of learning like this. The perspective police should have knocked on this dad's door and thrown Zack Morris size cell phones at him. His son is a part of a class that is 100% looking towards class over the weekend, get some perspective.

The perspective police would get most of their work from parents of young athletes. So many parents have unrealistic expectations and beliefs about their son/daughter's ability. Anytime a parent acts just absurd, the P. Police would show up with gatorade coolers full of grape jelly they would dump on them. Get some perspective and let your kid be a kid.

The athlete that holds a press conference at the age of 18 to choose between three hats as a method of announcing his collegiate choice would be top offenders on the P.Police list. As soon as the hat was placed on the head the P.P. would shoot a watermelon at them from a potato gun. Get some perspective, just go play.

The perspective police would have knocked on all of our doors at some point. We all have lost perspective at least once in our life of what is important. Too often we consume our time and thoughts with the junk that isn't. Ask someone to be your Perspective Police to keep you in check. Have an agreement that they get to call you out when you lose perspective and you can't argue with them or feel hurt, because they are saving your conscious some late night worrying.