The Reverend Bob Richards, Olympic Gold Medalist pole-vaulter once said, “Everyday ordinary people do extraordinary things.”

I recently re-watched an ESPN film entitled, “Survive and Advance.”  The film was roughly two hours and it followed the 1983 North Carolina State men’s basketball team on their journey to winning an NCAA championship under then coach Jim Valvano.  Coach Valvano described listening to the Reverend Bob Richards when he was 16 and feeling let down that Mr. Richards told all the students he was speaking to that they were ordinary.  After saying this, Mr. Richards then said, “everyday, ordinary people do extraordinary things.”  Coach Valvano remembered this as he became a coach and reminded his players they could do extraordinary things as long as they stayed together as a team and believed in their dreams.

Before I became an administrator I was a History teacher.  Over the course of the school year I would discuss various figures of history with my classes.  Students would study famous Greeks and Romans and explore their early childhood and how they rose to where they did.  Some figures in history were privileged while many came from poor families.  My question to my class was always, “What made those people different from everyone else in their town?”  Sometimes students would answer Socrates was a mentor to Plato and Plato to Aristotle and Aristotle to Alexander the Great.  I would then ask, “Are any of them ordinary?”  Responses almost always included that while they may have been ordinary, they possessed the wherewithal and fortitude to learn from each other.  Students would often point out many individuals had a mentor or a leader that helped them succeed at what they were setting out to accomplish.

As the years go by I always think about what people have had an impact in my life and how many of them deserve credit for where I have been and what I have accomplished.  For those of us that are ordinary, and there are a few of us, make sure to take time out of your day to thank those people who have had a positive impact in your life.  It is my hope that our teachers and staff are challenging our students to not only be extraordinary in the classroom, but in all aspects of their life.

Picture is credited to the following webpage:  http://www.quota.org/we-share-foundation/cops-n-kids-literacy-program/how-quota-supports-cops-n-kids.