Mrs. Eason is a diehard ECU football fan. I introduced her to Coach Montgomery as his "biggest supporter and biggest critic." Just like in her classroom, Mrs. Eason wants everyone that she supports to perform at their very best and she does not settle for much less. When Coach Montgomery asked Mrs. Eason what she would like to see different from the team this upcoming season, she replied, "I want to see us take some risks on third down." Taking risks is sometimes what changes an average team into a winning team and it is a fair assessment of what was not happening for the Pirates this past season. The problem with risks is that you're either a hero or a loser for trying.
The coach also took the opportunity to turn the question around and ask what Mrs. Eason was doing with any student that was failing her class. (He was looking to even out the pressure being placed on him) That's a fair question as well. Doing the same-old thing when a student fails to submit work for class, or study for tests or even attend regularly is comfortable and safe. When it looks like you just can't get a student to be successful, you're no different than a coach staring at 3rd down and a long way to go. You can call a conservative play and hope for the best, or you can take a risk and call something that no one sees coming. Taking the courage to step outside your comfort zone is tough to do. Your "risk" is lost time, effort, emotion and opportunity. Despite that, the gains are very tempting and probably have much more in common with why you chose to be a teacher. So this semester, when you have a student that is facing a 3rd and long situation, I want to see you take more risks.
PS: (For Mrs. Eason): You didn't answer his question very well. Coach Montgomery chooses the best he can find in regards to talent and effort to be on his team when he makes that call at 3rd down. You, on the other hand, do not get that luxury. Despite that, I'd still bet that your record is better than his.
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