The teachable moment

What was lost in 2012? What do you intend to find in 2013?

I will answer the question with a little story from my life that happened several year ago.

“You missed a teachable moment!”, Phyllis exclaimed as she stood nose to nose with a little league coach in the Pizza Hut somewhere in Delaware along the way back from Williamsburgh. I smelled trouble as soon as we got out of the car, even before I parked. There were a couple of young people running around the lot, playing dodge ball, and bouncing the ball off the building, and that hint made me choose the parking place at the farthest end of the lot.

We assumed that what was in the parking lot, stayed in the parking lot. Unfortunately, what was in the parking lot was an overflow of activity from inside the Hut, where a little league team was celebrating a final game victory for the season. The kids were euphoric because they had won, because they had pizza and soda, and probably more importantly, because there was no responsible adult watching them and exercising control.

We figured the situation was temporary, so we took our table, and ordered a pizza. We were very tired and hungry, and the comfort of that warm round pie oozing with greasy cheese was so good. The bedlam around us was very annoying. The waiters dodged the boys who were running all over the place. No one would say a word. I talked to the manager, and he said simply “What can you do?”

Phyllis knew what to do. Despite her bout with aphasia over the recent years she stood up in the middle of the chaos and shouted “Stop everything!”. The assertive power in her voice caused an immediate calm, and then she demanded to know who was in charge of these kids. There was a man seated with a few kids and another adult gathered around him, sheepishly looking away to avoid the blinding glare from Phyllis’ gaze. And she went over to him, and inquired why he let these boys roam out of control. He  could not look her in the eye, and mumbled something about the way kids are today. And in her way, she looked into his face, and told him he was in charge, and had to measure up. “They look to you for leadership! This was a teachable moment, and you missed it.”

Phyllis did not let the teachable moment pass. I am sure that red faced coach remembered this moment for a long time...and there was a round of applause as we went on our way. We had eaten, and Phyllis was coming back.

We will resolve in 2013 not to miss the teachable moment.