Children often
use hero worship as a means to create an exalted image of what or who we would
like to be. Freud called this concept
the ego ideal. As a child I was as a fan
of the Washington Senators baseball team, and suffered through years of "First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League." Yes, the Senators were a terrible baseball
team, but Frank Howard made the difference for me. He was a huge man who could hit the baseball
further than any non-steroids player in the history of the game.
Unfortunately, he would have only two or three streaks a year, but oh
my, they were awesome to observe. He was
a shining star for any baseball loving youth in Washington DC.
Was his prodigious power enough for the ego ideal? Howard was a gentle giant who always had time
for the fans and the community. He was a
positive role model who let his actions speak louder than his words. Yes, to the youth of DC, he was worshiped. It
has been my lifelong goal to express my love, admiration, and gratitude for the
lessons he taught me in my youth. I even
have a poster of Frank Howard in my classroom that I pay homage to every
day.
At
the Nationals playoff series, Frank was throwing out the first pitch for the
second game, and he was available for a Question and Answer session before the
game. I went to the game with an old
friend, also a native Washingtonian, and we were at the session early. I was able to ask Frank about playing for the
great Ted Williams, and after the session I expressed my gratitude and shook
his hand. There are tears in my eyes as
I write this blog, and I feel that my childhood choice for the ego ideal was
right on the money. Thank you Frank for
everything!
As a psychology teacher at Cardin,
storytelling is an important component of generating associations for deep
processing of concepts. As we
incorporate left and right hemisphere thinking to enhance learning, success for
our students grows.
Bob Cantor- Psychology and History Teacher
