As a Director of Academic Technology, I have always celebrated the learning our students do outside of daily schedule that happens on the fields and in our performance spaces. The benefits to our students is that they develop the capacity of leadership, the need to work in an ensemble or team, and most importantly, with our school’s requirements, pushes students to participate into either new areas or areas of discomfort. The tongue-tied star athlete is required to perform on stage. Likewise, the theater geek is required to push themselves athletically.

Eloquently pointing this out is a new voice in the Edu-Bloggisphere, Patrick McHugh, our athletic director. In his new blog, the North Shore Country Day School Athletics Blog , Patrick has been sharing the various ways that our athletes learn, provides inspiration, and is providing thought provoking commentary on the learning that takes place through participation in athletics and in competition.

His post today, the North Shore Spring Musical focuses on similarities of the lessons learned on stage and through athletics, as well as the challenges that a student in a small school has juggling both.  From his post today:

But every time I watch our spring musical I feel there seems to be some connection between athletic development and a musical. The obvious similarities are students having to learn complex physical skills like how to dance, sing, move, act all at the same time. Knowing some of the kids as I do, a lot of them are being pushed out of their comfort zone, and they are enjoying the process. I have to give up practice time with some of these kids since musical rehearsals overlap with the end of the winter season and the beginning of the spring season. Many in the musical are on teams. That hurts at times. But when I see the outcome of all their work, it is worth it.

Please make sure that you add Patrick’s blog into your reader. It will be worth your time.