Partnership Educators,
Bob was raised in Evansville, Indiana. The responsibilities of manhood were thrust upon him early as his father died when he was ten. Otherwise, his childhood was mostly normal.
Bob attended an elementary school and each year the same medical professional would come by to examine the children's eyes. Bob played in Little League and was a promising pitcher and hitter for his age and he thought that if he were forced to wear glasses, his teammates would lose a degree of respect for him as a player. So each year when the eye test person would arrive, Bob would cheat on his test. He couldn’t see too well out of his right eye as it turned out and the deception wasn’t too difficult to pose. The boy would simply cover his right eye, the blurry eye when asked to read the letters on the chart. The lady medical volunteer never suspected anything and so Bob was never required to wear glasses. In Little League, he batted right-handed and so that put his left eye, his good eye, out front. He was also glad that as he grew he didn’t have glasses to mar his image with those around him.
With each passing year, his right eye became harder to cope with. At thirty or so he started suffering dizzy spells. He tried contact lenses but the spells and blurred vision continued. Then at last a visit to the ophthalmologist revealed the bitter truth. Bob’s right eye, the vision of which was now rated 2200, had succumbed to amblyopia, a condition without any obvious physical defect. Had his condition been diagnosed early, a patch over the strong left eye would have strengthened his right to normal vision. But there was no correction now at this age.
So if Bob were to continue in his profession, a career that depended so heavily on his eyesight, he would have to wear glasses from now on. Bob’s profession you ask? He was a quarterback for the National Football League (NFL). The boy who cheated each year on his eye test, and relied on his left eye until his right blurred out of control was legendary Miami Dolphin, Bob Griese. All through an unprecedented perfect season in 1972 and winning Super Bowls in 1973 and 1974, quarterback Bob Griese guided his Miami team with a 2200-rated unaided right eye. 2200 is considered legally blind.
How you behave is a reflection of what you believe. A culture of winning or achievement at the highest levels is about a culture of belief and incremental growth toward perfection and the truth that we all have, right now, everything needed to achieve at the highest levels. You would think the
story of Bob Grease is about one man overcoming a barrier and becoming a great hero. The truth is about a group of people who came together and believed in each other and worked to make the entire group better. The Miami Dolphins could have waited for a quarterback who had better eyesight to win at the highest levels but they didn't. Yes, Bob did compensate for his physical weakness but without the others on the team, this
story wouldn't be a
story. Sharing the workload and making sure that everyone is doing their part to succeed is what great teams or schools do. We work together to make coordinated work easier for all.
Thank you so much for being the solution maker and the team player that works with your colleagues to solve those imperfections at your schools while striving towards perfect outcomes for your students. We may not see perfection in our lifetimes but striving for it is never the wrong thing to do.
Administrator Recognition Week October 10-14, 2022: This next week is Administrator Recognition Week. Please say thank you to the administrator(s) at your school for I know that they care deeply about what they do and love working with all of you.
Have a great weekend,
Rob