TOTALLY GEEKED!

Landess Kearns · Guru

Twelve years ago, a 9-year-old boy in Hawaii was gently scolded by his fourth grade teacher. In a writing assignment -- "What do you want to be when you grow up?" -- young Marcus Mariota was insistent that he would be an NFL quarterback.

His teacher, Margerie Tupper, was skeptical. She took him aside one day and tried to convince him to pick another dream.

"I told him, there's only so many quarterbacks in the NFL ... but it was, 'No, Mrs. Tupper. That's all I want to do,'" she told local news outlet KITV. "'I want to play pro-quarterback in the NFL.' That's all he kept saying."

On Jan. 14, Heisman-winner Marcus Mariota announced that he will be leaving the Oregon Ducks and entering the 2015 NFL draft.

And Mrs. Tupper, still a fourth-grade teacher at Nuuanu Elementary School, is eating her words.

"I rooted for him," Tupper told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. "But I felt kinda of silly having been the one who tried to talk him out of it at first. My son jokes with me about it, calling me 'the dream killer.'"

Tupper says she takes all the teasing in stride and that she's extremely proud of her former student.

"It is like, my gosh, he had these dreams so young and told me about them ... and he's making them happen," she told the Star-Advertiser.

Young Marcus had yet to even play organized football when he came up with his NFL dream; his parents had told Tupper they didn't know where he got the idea. As a nine year old, however, he was already throwing impressive spirals at recess, and his parents have since noted an unfaltering persistence in their son.

"He's always had goals and he's really focused and he's achieving them. It's pretty amazing," his mother told The Oregonian two years ago. "As it starts happening and evolving you look back and say, 'Wow!'"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/16/marcus-mariota-teacher_n_6482474.html?utm_hp_ref=sports

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Ok. But it is really necessary to come out YEARS later and try to shame your 4th grade teacher? I mean, can't you kind of get past 4th grade as an adult?

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

I think when it comes to dreams like that, parents and teachers shouldn't poo-poo them, but do explain that you need a back-up b/c even if you do become a quarterback, you physically can't play football forever. Besides - you'll need to go to college to play on a college team, so you may as well pick a major you'll like.

DD10 wants to be a singer, but even she knows the importance of choosing a back-up career.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Well, sorry but my job as a parent is to squash some of those dreams. My son is playing the bass in a band. He doesn't even know how to play the bass, lol! I told him "don't let the fact that you can't play an instrument stop you from your dream"! Yeah, we are a sarcastic family. We are crabby ass Germans, soooo I have probably done some dream squashing.
And, he is starting school in Feb for Electrician, so I told him if you get overly focused on your band, then I will take the bass away because your job right now is to focus on becoming an electrician for which I am forking over mightly for. And, face reality, then you probably aren't going to make a living playing in a band.

Soooo, does that make me a bad parent?

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

I don't know. Running around and shoving it back in the face of naysayers seems pretty pathetic. And, she didn't call him a dumb ass, she just pointed out the very real realities of life. You can't win.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
I don't know. Running around and shoving it back in the face of naysayers seems pretty pathetic. And, she didn't call him a dumb ass, she just pointed out the very real realities of life. You can't win.

Where are you getting that? The article doesn't say he started the topic.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

He actually sounds like he is joking and has a more lighthearted tone. Just speaking in general.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
He actually sounds like he is joking and has a more lighthearted tone. Just speaking in general.

I don't see any quotes from him at all in that article.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

I am starting a General conversation and that was the lead in.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
I am starting a General conversation and that was the lead in.

???? confuse

Lady Gaga said -

"Running around and shoving it back in the face of naysayers seems pretty pathetic. And, she didn't call him a dumb ass, she just pointed out the very real realities of life. You can't win."

"He actually sounds like he is joking and has a more lighthearted tone. Just speaking in general."

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Marcus Mariota's 4th-Grade Teacher Tried To Talk Him Out Of His NFL Dreams!!!

That's the headline. And, it implies that the evil meanie teacher tried to squash him.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
Marcus Mariota's 4th-Grade Teacher Tried To Talk Him Out Of His NFL Dreams!!!

That's the headline. And, it implies that the evil meanie teacher tried to squash him.

When you read the article - it sounds like she actually is the one brought it up.

Mellow Momma · Sniff...sniff, sniff. Yay! A Bum!

DD told people in the 5th grade that she was going to be a fashion designer and live in NYC. As long as she had that dream, we backed her up. She even changed high schools before school started because the first high school wouldn't give her art as her elective and she knew she needed 4 years of art to get a decent portfolio. Some kids are really focused and determined and back it up with actions. DD didn't need pushing - she was the one who pushed to get what she needed.

Some kids just know. I think it's our job as parents to back them up and support them. But if your kid wants a job like NFL quarterback then yes, you should remind them that sports isn't forever, educate them on how many 40 year old ex NFL players are dead broke, etc.

It can be a fine line between reality check and dream killing.

Why does it keep autocorrecting DD to Dad? Urgh!!

-- Edited by Mellow Momma on Sunday 18th of January 2015 01:33:35 PM

-- Edited by Mellow Momma on Sunday 18th of January 2015 01:34:28 PM

huskerbb · Guru

Some dreams need squashed.

Now, my guess it that Mariota was probably an exceptional athlete even at age 10. Probably way ahead of his peers at all sports. He could probably run faster and jump higher than most 6th graders. So, while most kids who say they want to be an NFL quarterback aren't being realistic--that probably doesn't describe him.

However, if you've got some fat kid in class that can't dodge, or catch, the dodgeball, is the slowest kid in class, and can't jump more than a couple of inches off the ground--squash away.

Realism is important, too.