Just Beneath the Surface

We’re all familiar with the “Iceberg Metaphor“ (the idea that we only see a fraction of an iceberg above the water’s surface and that the real support and work lie beneath what people can see).

I want to put a new spin on that metaphor.

Not long ago I went fishing at a little pond close to home. It was a warm day, but it was early, so it hadn’t gotten really hot yet. The pond is known for growing a think blanket of algae and grass in the heat of the summer, and it was living up to its reputation that morning.

I made my first cast into the pond and worked my way around the edge of the vegetation, tossing a 5 inch Yum Dinger (Google it) into pockets of clear water. After about an hour, I felt my responsibilities for the day tugging at my sleeve and got ready to pack it in.

It’s really not unusual to fish for an hour or two and come up empty (bass anglers know it as “getting skunked”) and that seemed to be the way the trip was going to end that morning. But, fishing is pretty high on the list of acts of optimism and there’s always the promise of success in that ”one last cast.”

Before leaving, I decided that I would cast right in the middle of the tangle of grass along the edge of the pond. My lure didn’t even penetrate the carpet that had formed on the water’s surface, but I worked it back to me; twitching and pausing it as it crawled its way over the matted vegetation.

A few yards from where I stood, the grass suddenly exploded as a bass cane up and inhaled the lure. I set the hook and brought the fish to shore. After pulling about a pound of “pond salad” from the end of my line I was rewarded with a largemouth bass that weighed a couple of pounds. Not a huge fish, but a good way to wrap up my morning.

I released the fish back into the pond and headed home. As I drove, I thought about that catch. The fish had been prowling in an area that was under such a mess of grass and algae that I had avoided it with my early casting (especially since I knew that area was just a foot or so deep). All my attention had been focused on clearer water (even though I know that heavy vegetation can often pay big dividends). I didn't want to clean off grass and muck from my lure after ever cast and, consequently, missed out on an opportunity to land the fish sooner.

Education can be like that. Sometimes we have to realize that what we see on the surface is hiding the chance to create new learning. The areas that we find the least comfortable are the ones that often hold a reward for us. The student who needs us most is often hiding under a mat of other issues (behavior, attendance, learning styles) and we need to cast into the mess to reach that child.

Just like that fish, many students aren’t found in deep pockets out near the pristine waters in middle of the pond. Sometimes, they’re just a few feet from us in shallow water. We can miss them if we don’t cast into those areas.

As we are starting school (and many of us already have), decide to cast to all parts of your pond. That’s the story I want to tell, one where we give attention to every area where a student might be found to build meaningful relationships and create new learning.