I blew my whistle and immediately the children stopped and looked my way. The soccer ball keep rolling out of bounds, lost without the guidance of an eager young foot. Noise emitted out of little mouths quite certain the foul was not on them. As my breath gave power to the whistle to keep the peace; the children once again stood silent. I spoke and made the call. The power of the whistle.
Little did I know I held a greater power in my bag filled with coach essentials. I didn’t realize the power it contained until I stumbled upon it by accident. Isn’t that how all great things are found? For weeks, the little players argued over who would start the game or who would get to play the coveted position of forward or midfielder. They all wanted the glory of making a goal kick. I would tell the kids the line up for each game and they would show displeasure or beg for another position. While I wanted to grant all the requests and I wanted the best line up, I had promised the organization that all kids would have a chance to play all positions. This was a team of 7 and 8 year olds, so it was essential to give the a chance to grow and understand the game from every position.
As the game began, the team eagerly ran up to me to find out who had the glory positions. I happened to be holding my unassuming clipboard with the starting line up. As I read it off this time, they listened and ran to the field in proper formation. I did not leave out noisy details as there were none to report. I was left in shock. Could it be that I was holding a clipboard? No, that would be too simple. I decided to experiment.
The next quarter came and I decided to give positions holding nothing but air. The whining commenced. The next quarter came and I held the clipboard and without a peep they ran on the field. It was like using the volume on a TV remote. I had found the power of the clipboard.
Now, will this work for chores and lessons for my little students?