Basketball and education: The same questions
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This post was written by Joanne Yatvin, a longtime public school educator, author and past president of the National Council of Teachers of English. She is now teaching part-time at Portland State University.
By Joanne Yatvin
I admit I am a novice when it comes to critiquing basketball. Growing up, I never played the game, and I never watched it or read about it until I became a Portland Trailblazer fan a few years ago Yet, I am a lifelong teacher, used to studying the performance of students in order to help them learn better. I’ve brought my eyes to the game, and what I’ve learned there I’d like to bring back to the classroom.
During the regular season, as I watched the Blazers play erratically I accepted the professional wisdom that the trouble was playing better teams, using the wrong strategies, being on the road, or having insufficient time off between games.
But now, after watching the playoffs and the finals between the Miami