Telling stories from the past is a great way to engage our children and to enrich their learning experiences.
I have one childhood story to pass on now, but first, let me tell you about a reminder I have of the event.
I still have a Sports Illustrated dated April 15, 1974. It's hard for me to believe that the magazine is now 40 years old.
On the cover is a smiling Hank Aaron in an Atlanta Braves uniform. He is holding a baseball high above his head and is surrounded by a crowd of reporters.
The cover simply reads "715."
I can show the magazine to any young person and tell them I remember watching on television when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record of 714. I was only 12.
I can tell them how on April 8, 1974, I saw the historic event with my dad and my brother in our home on our first color television set, which was not quite four years old.
I can tell them how I remember sports caster Curt Gowdy's words: "It's a long drive ... the ball's hit deep ... deep ... It is gone! He did it! He did it! Henry Aaron, is the all-time home run leader now ..."
I can tell them that the celebration that followed the homer included fireworks, cheers, Hank Aaron's name up in lights, with video projections in the Atlanta Fulton County Stadium saying "move over Babe."
I can remember them saying how Babe Ruth was a class act in baseball and had he been there he would have been the first to say, "Way to go Hank."
I could tell how the Sports Illustrated had a cover price of 60 cents and what I might could do with two or three dollars in 1974.
I remember learning in the years that followed how Aaron's pursuit of the career home run lead was one of great tension for him and his family.
It was a relief for the record to finally fall, and Aaron's face showed it.
I can tell how I was finishing the sixth grade and about to play my fourth year of Little League Baseball when Aaron hit the historic homer. I looked up to players like Aaron, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, and many more.
I could tell them I knew the home run record was big, but that I wasn't old enough to fully appreciate its significance for baseball and for America. Nor did I know of its importance to history.
The truth was, I had lots yet to learn about baseball, about history, and about life, but witnessing such an event and contemplating upon its meaning was special. And even though I didn't realize it, it was an event that increased my ability to incorporate more learning experiences in to my life.
Now another baseball season is upon us and there are more records to fall and more stories to be told. Not all records are as significant as Aaron's, but each story from our childhood that is passed on to younger generations is.
Stories are powerful and my Hank Aaron experience is one such example. They catch our interest, are easy to remember, and are a strong vehicle for conveying important lessons.
We need to be sharing more of them.
David Wilson, EdD, is one of the assistant principals at Jefferson City High School. You may e-mail him at [email protected].