A man overboard drill is simple on our boat. I throw my lifejacket overboard and call Man Overboard. Johnny, our thirteen year old cox immediately began a chorus of "oh crap, oh crap oh crap". Then he called the crew to oars, hold water, back water, and rescued the endangered lifejacket. That is to say, he did everything right. Yet, having succeeded at this task, told us all that he doesn't perform well under pressure.
I find it amusing that, having performed so well, Johnny's first reaction is to apologize. Welcome to the life of the young adolescent, trying to fit into this world, knowing somehow that whatever he does isn't good enough. There's no way to fast forward through this stage of life. All we can do as teachers, as parents, and as caring adults is provide a myriad of experiences through which Johnny can learn that he actually does perform well under pressure, and provide the training from which Johnny can draw when unforeseen circumstances arise.
Johnny went home today feeling pretty good about himself. He had succeeded in a pressure situation. That success might save someone's life.
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