What We Can Learn About Teaching from the Buffalo Bills vs. The Kansas City Chiefs Game

I am from Buffalo. While I’m not the biggest or even the loudest Bills fan, I was really hoping that the Bills would win the game against the Chiefs and make it to the Super Bowl. Sadly, it did not happen.

When I was watching the game, I couldn’t help but notice the difference in demeanor between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. At the start of the game, Allen was jittery and looked visibly nervous while Mahomes was came across as calm and composed. Like him or not, Patrick Mahomes, regardless of how he feels inside, tends to present himself as in control. It got me thinking about how the rest of each team fed off of the quarterbacks.

The Bills seemed to take their cue from Allen and also looked nervous. And, the Chiefs - they fed off of Mahomes’ confidence and it showed as they played. So, what does this have to do with teaching?

I’ve been observing quite a few lessons lately and while all of us get nervous or flustered when we are teaching, I have noticed that the teachers who are able to stay calm and appear confident regardless of how they feel inside, have stronger lessons than those who are visibly nervous and flustered. The teachers who present a calm and controlled front are able to maintain the management of the class and the students also take their cue from the teacher.

This has been such a good reminder and lesson for me. We all have moments where we are concerned, nervous, or worried as we are teaching. However, I think that when we have these feelings, if we can give ourselves a minute, take a breath, and get back into the work, we’ll do better for our students.