The Burden Of Love (Jonathan Toews)

Strength. 3

Jonathan

Chicago has been the land of opportunities for me. Growing up I wanted to play hockey on a Canadian team, I was raised in Winnipeg and the Jets were my favorite team for the longest time. But Chicago has proven to be exactly where I belong. This city embraced me, made me its captain and I don't want to let them down. So many look up to me and I try my damnedest to make them proud. To provide this city with pride and fun the only way I know how.

But hockey has been away for a while. It's back now but it's different than the last time I got to play this game. This isn't the hockey I remembered, it didn't used to be about income and revenue and politics. And at this point it's never going to be the same again. This is the second lockout caused by players and owners in the past decade, and who's to say it won't happen again? Obviously nothing is changing but we can't stop playing forever. Neither us or the owners wanted a lock out but they weren't willing to listen. How are we supposed to play for the same people who despises us? It's definitely been a experience that rocked me to the core. Shook up my feelings about this business I'm in. Because to me it's not a business, it's a passion. But to many it's no longer what they want to do rather what they're good at or feel obligated to do.

Today I wasn't being overwhelmed by any of that. Starting up the season after a long break was hard enough and I needed a distraction in the worst ways. If I'm not in or around the ice there isn't much I can do about the game so I shouldn't worry. Today I decided to meet up with some new friends and get to know them better. It was the perfect way to take a break from the business and step out of the hockey bubble I've created here in Chicago.

So I meet Emilia and Kenneth at the park by the school Emmy works at. Neither of them knew much about hockey so I knew their offer for me to join them was genuine. They were coming here anyways and asked me to tag along and I couldn't turn down a chilly park day. Kenneth goes onto the structures having the time of his life as Emilia and I sit on a bench close enough to watch over him. Our legs almost touching as we stayed bundled up. I try to find out more about this girl who I couldn't seem to get out my head even though I knew next to nothing about her.

"Do you like teaching" I wonder trying to see where she is in life. I know a lot of teachers are good at teaching but few actually enjoy it. Kinda like hockey.

"I love it. I always wanted to be a teacher, even when I was a little girl. I've had both good and bad teachers growing up, both changing my life in their own ways. Having a chance to teach kids the things they need for life is important to me. Because whether we are ready for this discussion or not, the core fundamentals forced upon every kid in the education system is not all that important. Reading, writing, arithmetic, that's not what life is about but no one tells these kids that. Teaching all these different kids the exact same thing isn't fair when they all learn and retain in different ways. It's like putting you and a baseball player and a football player on a football field. You're all obviously gifted but only the football player will thrive in a football environment. That doesn't mean the rest of you aren't talented but it means you need to focus on what you're good at instead of what others are good at.

We all have our strengths and for some people sitting down, reading and retaining isn't a strength of theirs. We shouldn't be punishing these kids because of that. Yes a lot of what is taught is important but there is just as many things more important that aren't being taught. I feel like those lesson have a lot less of a impact as ones that every kid will have to learn one way or another.

Being a teacher is more like being a guider. I don't force my kids to be book smart because sometimes that's not possible for them. Especially with the resources I'm given. Expecting them to be perfect with little opportunities to learn is absurd. I like to be outside of the box, I have cooking classes on Friday's where we use math and measuring tools to make meals that one day might feed them when their parents can't. We read about kids who think and act like them and they don't feel so alone. We don't shoot down kids for asking questions that aren't a part of the lessons because those are often the answers they need the most.