Lowering the Bar is common practice now - Learn to elevate your game instead

Learn to elevate. Don't accept that those around you are forcing the bar to be lowered. 

California is trying to lower the minimum scores needed to pass the bar exam because many can't pass the exam anymore.

The standards have been lowered for college entry, teaching, law enforcement and lending...the list of lowered standards is really quite endless.

Why is this happening? I think a general lack of accountability is to blame.

As coaches and teachers...we must resist this trend of lowered standards and start using our leadership roles to build up our players and students. Helping those around us to achieve success by lowering the bar is really the problem.

I think that the great baseball coach John Scolinos has a great way to illustrate this trend. Here is a summary of what he talked about at a convention of coaches before his death at 91 years of age. You should read the article here to get the Coach's thoughts on widening home plate in baseball.

Scolinos says that we don't teach accountability to our kids, and there are no consequences for failing to meet standards. "If I am lucky, you will remember one thing from this old coach today. It is this: If we fail to hold ourselves to a higher standard, a standard of what we know to be right, if we fail to hold our spouses and our children to the same standards, if we are unwilling or unable to provide a consequence when they do not meet the standard and if our schools and churches and our government fail to hold themselves accountable to those they serve, there is but one thing to look forward to...dark days."

As coaches and teachers...we must go out and fix this trend by holding those around us to a higher standard. When you elevate your game nowadays...you really do set yourself apart from those around you. It is a surefire way to get noticed in today's world.

Classroom Quote:

You know what makes me sick to my stomach? When I hear grown people say that kids have changed. Kids haven’t changed. Kids don’t know anything about anything. We’ve changed as adults. We demand less of kids. We expect less of kids. We make their lives easier instead of preparing them for what life is truly about. We’re the ones that have changed. To blame kids is a cop-out.
-Frank Martin, South Carolina Head Basketball Coach

Comment: How do you set yourself apart from those around you?