Hockey vs. School

My oldest son is at home this morning after taking a pretty good check during a hockey game yesterday, making it pretty tough to stomach the idea of sitting in a hard school chair all day.  On Friday, he had to miss the last period of school to make it to hockey practice in Lethbridge on time (1 hour & 30 minutes away).  Over the past 3 years, I have noticed that there is a growing trend in hockey eating into school time.  Tournaments often start on Fridays and with travel for weeknight games a reality, leaving early has become quite common.  I've been feeling kind of guilty about this - angry even - worrying about what this is teaching our children.

Today, as I've sat with the question "what is this teaching our children", I have gained a new perspective that I'd like to share.

I started out by thinking, what is the purpose of school?  This is a question that I've pondered a lot over the past few years when my children have whined, mostly on Mondays, "aww mom, why do I have to go to school?".  Besides the obvious answer that it is illegal not to go to school, what truly is the purpose?  Yes, there is some knowledge that will be important to them when they are older.  Being exposed to various topics gives them the opportunity to see what really interests them.  In a perfect world, school shows them how to plan their work out to meet a goal and how to deliver to expectations.  It teaches them how to interact with adults and other students, preparing them for how to 'get along' in society - giving them the opportunity to see where they must conform and when it is ok to voice their own thoughts & opinions.  But, is school the only place where these lessons can be imparted?

I have seen my boys learn so much from their participation in hockey, these are just a few of what I see as their most important lessons;

First, they continually learn how to work with teammates to achieve a common goal.  Even if they have nothing else in common off the ice, my boys have learned how to see the strengths of each of their teammates and how to work together for the best result.  They've learned how to achieve as a team and lose as a team.  I have wondered aloud lately if this is part of the reason boys suffer less drama in relationships as they grow than girls do.  They start learning, sometimes as early as 4 years old, how to work things out with other people and move forward together.

Second, they learn work ethic and dedication.  They have been shown how to work on developing specific skills to improve their game and taught how to practice.  My oldest boy has spent tons of time working on his stick handling & his shot.  This year, when he was injured and given a physiotherapy routine to recover, he got up every day at 6 am to do his exercises and repeated them again at night for over 6 weeks.  He learned the very important lesson, if you want something, you have to work at it.

Third, for those who truly love the sport, they experience what it feels like to do something that they feel passionate about.  When you know that feeling, you can be more aware of what other interests and experiences bring out the same feeling as you move through life.  I believe that all people should be encouraged to live from their passion so this early exposure to living in this way is invaluable.

So, today, I am ok with missing school for hockey.  As long as my kids are applying themselves 100% to  the game, I believe the life lessons they are gaining are every bit as important as what they are learning from school.  My boys know that we expect 100% effort in everything that they pursue, so as long as they are doing that at school when they are there and in sports when they are missing school, I feel confident they are shaping themselves to be happy, fulfilled and successful adults.