A Teachable Moment

One of the missions of education is not just to teach young minds what to know, it’s to teach them how to think. The pandemic has thrown a monkey wrench into the classroom experience, but the region’s schools have done a laudable job of adapting to unique times and conditions.

Every once in a while, a moment shines through that’s worth highlighting.

Last week, at a Sag Harbor School Board meeting, the hot topic was whether student-athletes should be permitted to return to “high-risk” interscholastic sports like basketball, wrestling and cheerleading. Sag Harbor officials, led by Superintendent Jeff Nichols, have stood largely alone in Suffolk County by declining to resume these sports, fearing that the close contact indoors between athletes is too much of a risk at a time when transmission rates remain alarming.

Athletes have been understandably upset with that stance, and they’ve taken action in response — by organizing. One student, Hudson Brindle, circulated a petition on Change.org that collected more than 700 signatures, and he participated in a protest walkout of school. He also spoke at a School Board meeting last Monday, making the case to resume these sports.

It was a moment of conflict. Recent history has made conflict seem dangerous, something to be avoided at all costs. But the Pierson school community did something remarkable: They recognized a teachable moment, and took advantage of it.

Rather than punishing students for speaking up, or demanding they stop, they listened. Mr. Nichols commended them for making their voices heard. The School Board listened as other speakers made the case for resuming sports, noting the impact the pandemic is having on the teenagers’ emotional and social well-being.

In the end, the School Board and Mr. Nichols were not swayed, and they explained that concerns about the health and safety of students, teachers and the community at large took precedence. They were respectful to the objectors, they took the time to listen and to explain, and they resisted any temptation to see the conflict as anything more than another chance to teach.

It’s a hard lesson, but an important one: Taking up a cause and effectively communicating your position to those in power is an essential skill to have in a democracy, and it takes courage and commitment to do it right — and you don’t have to “win” for it to be a worthwhile effort, something worthy of pride. The student-athletes learn that every day on the court or field of play, and now they have seen it in action in real life.

One day soon, life will return to something closer to normal. Until then, it’s reassuring to see educators identifying opportunities in these strange times to teach, and teach well.