Amongst all of the lessons that I learned from teachers and classmates of the Great Valley school district, I feel that some of the strongest were in the hours spent outside of the classrooms. The majority of our sports teams’ coaches were teachers as well, and in my opinion they brought much of their deeper wisdoms with them out onto the fields.
The head track coach of the middle school team was also one of the school’s math teachers. Although I never had him as a student in the middle school, I think he taught me more on the track than I would have ever learned in the classroom. Aside from techniques and strategies, Mr. Gring made it very clear to me that no one ever knows their full potential until they strive to achieve it. He explained that some of the top runners that seem unbeatable in middle school will turn out to be mediocre in high school. While others who are merely average in middle school may become one of the school’s, or even the state’s best runners come high school.
The lesson I learned here was to never give up on anything or anyone, including myself until I’ve seen the task through to the best of my ability. A quote by Neils Bohr I recently read in psychology kind of summarized this lesson; “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future”. Sometimes you just never know what’s waiting for you just around the corner, and sometimes you may even surprise yourself.
Nick, Mr. Gring taught you a formidable lesson on expectation and perseverance. I look forward to seeing how you have applied this lesson from middle school to other aspects of your life including academics with examples of how you've "surprised yourself."
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