Get SEATed

I was watching a baseball game a little while on TV.  The announcers started talking about batting average and how this player or that player is off to a good start because he has 2 hits in 7 at bats.  The guy is hitting the ball in play 29% of time. 

Through the course of 162 games, roughly the same amount of days a class meets in a year, a batter is considered to be amazing if he has a 40% batting average.  Let’s say a student comes into the classroom each day and does his/her assignment on 40% of those days.  Is that student considered amazing?  Far from it. 

Not only do these ball players gain all-star status for a 40% perfomance, but they get paid millions of dollars to do so.  If a student gets 40% in a class for the year, he/she has to repeat the class the following year.

Yes, I understand that baseball games and classrooms are two entirely different things and that this post is a bit on the exaggerated and dramatic side, but it gives a good example of perspective.  From the perspective of a coach or ball player, 40% is awesome.  From the perspective of a teacher, it’s not so hot.