Ah, love... Avery and Brodeur during a quiet moment. Image courtesy puckcentral.blogspot.com
Picking up on a previous column, and in honor of the recent start to a new hockey season, I’d like to continue writing for a moment about the ways that being a New York Ranger fan is much like teaching with contemporary art.
Just to recap from the last post, being a Ranger fan is a lot like teaching with contemporary art because:
- Anything can happen, and it will.
- Being prepared is half the battle.
- You’re often anxious.
- People make fun of you, but once in a while you get to laugh back.
- Practically every game (class) is exciting, no matter how much the last one sucked.
- You’re always looking to try something a little different, a little better.
- Carefully timed risks make all the difference.
After a brutally embarrassing loss to the Islanders on Monday, I want to take this opportunity to add to the list by saying that the similarities continue:
- Never assume anything. You may be ahead by two, but there’s plenty of time to lose by three.
- Being able to change on the fly and try new strategies is essential to achieving goals.
- Agitation is part of good teaching. One has to actually agitate restless and scattered minds in order to slow down- allowing students to see and focus on big questions.
Each Ranger season, like the beginning of school in the fall, starts with tremendous hope and perhaps even a little promise. The key to being a Ranger fan and teaching with contemporary art lies in always finding new ways to be inspired and consistently looking for ways to improve our practice.