I love all sports and I did a few things when my bones were more pliable and I wore a younger man’s clothes. I don’t talk much about sports anymore. But some time back I took my usual 2-mile trip from my farm in Witter Springs to the Tallman Hotel Conference Room in Upper Lake to sit in on the monthly Monday Civil War Round Table. That’s hosted by Phil Smoley and Zane Jensen and when they hold their round table meeting, lots of smart people attend. I don’t count myself as smart … but it makes me feel good to be in such high-flying company.
Zane gave part of the presentation on Reconstruction after the Civil War and spoke about President Andrew Johnson. Zane is a Terrace Middle School history teacher and he is also Clear Lake High School’s varsity baseball coach for the Cardinals. He is one of the many good teachers who do a lot more than deal out the dry facts of history to his students. On one of his history field trips he took them to Gettysburg to make that battle of the Civil War come alive.
Before he had a chance to get going on his talk, I asked Zane about the amazing 24-game string of victories of the Clear Lake High School baseball team, the Cardinals.
“What’s your secret? Twenty-four wins and no losses. And now the team is fighting for the North Central League standing.”
He smiled, thought a moment and then he said, “Gettysburg. I used the story of Gettysburg on the team. I had to keep the kids from getting a big head over their string of victories so I used what happened at Gettysburg in 1863 to drive home my point.”
“You see,” he finished, “Robert E. Lee never lost a battle until Gettysburg. He was about to attack a Union army and a general that had never won a battle. He was supremely confident his men would do anything he asked. In his over-confidence, Lee made a mistake. He sent general Pickett’s thousands up the hill against the massed Union cannon and the entire Union army.”
“When Lee told Pickett to withdraw his men, Pickett could only say tearfully, ‘What men? I have no army.’”
On May 21, the Record-Bee spoke of teacher-coach Jensen and the Clear Lake Cardinals:
“Zane Jensen, a teacher of history at Terrace Middle School, is … a maker of history. Jensen … has been in the driver’s seat during the Cardinals’ undefeated regular season — 24-0.”
One quote in the article brought home what is important for the students and said, “I know these guys. I know what their grades are. We do a weekly grade check so I can check on them all the time. I hear from their teachers so I know what is going on.” … Baseball’s a game of life. You have to learn to deal with failure and you fail a lot in baseball.”
Our country needs more teachers in our schools like Zane Jensen … that is, if America has any hope of keeping our place in the world. Hats off to all good teachers, one of the finest and most important of professions.
