"I Believe I Can Fly":The Success (and failure) of Michael Jordan

First of all, I'd like to say that Michael Jordan is one of the greatest,if not the greatest, athletes of all time. The way he played the game of basketball was incredible. I think that this commercial does a very good job of explaining his success. Every athlete claims to have had failures in their life. However, I think Michael Jordan (MJ) has had a little bit more than most athletes. In junior high, MJ was cut from the school basketball team. I mean...wow. The greatest player ever to play the game was cut from a measly junior high school team?? Yep. During the commercial he gives specific numbers on his failures, and they are pretty alarming. The last line he says though, pretty much sums it up. He gives credit to his failures for making him succeed. He says this as an inspiration to people out there going through tough times.

I think that the set up of this commercial is very clever. The dark hallway creates a dramatic tone. MJ steps in and ignores all the wealthy and obnoxious fans and press and continues down the hallway. As he passes a janitor, he gives him the head nod. I think this represents how MJ can identify with people who have struggling jobs or other troubles (such as the janitor; don't think I'm saying janitors are lower class, I'm just trying to back up my idea). 

Just to sum all of this up I'd like to share with you a MJ quote I ran across..." Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it." This is the growth mindset in a nutshell. 

On a more serious note...be sure to tune into WSAZ Channel 3 this SATURDAY @ 7 to watch our Thundering Herd take on the Bowling Green Falcons. I'm actually drving up to the game so look for me! 
GO HERD!

What was Marita's Bargain?

Marita's was that if she was willing to spend vast amounts of time on studying and homework, then in return, the Knowledge is Power Program would give her an education that woud get her out of a poverty-stricken lifestyle.  Malcom Gladwell describes this as an example of being an outlier because Marita was given a chance to attend a good school. Because she was a very self-motivated girl, she was able to take advantage of that chance.  

On a more serious note....

                                             WE ARE...MARSHALL and...          

GO HERD!!!

The "Ideal" Student- according to Mighty Matt

In my opinion, the ideal student is a student who not only is responsible for his/her assignments, but is involved in extra-curricular activities and has a good balance between the two.  The ideal student doesn’t take “cake” classes and doesn’t drop out of a class, unless it is due to a serious issue (problems with scheduling, etc.). They also make decent grades.  The ideal student is also aware of the vast amount of resources that are available to use for homework, studying, and/or research.