When You Come to a Fork in the Road, TAKE IT: Inspiration and Wisdom from One of Baseball’s Greatest Heroes by Yogi Berra, with Dave Kaplan (©2001, Hyperon: New York, NY) is funny, insightful, and inspirational all at once. I have always been a big fan of Yogi as he seems like such an unlikely hero. He doesn’t look like a star athlete and at first, his speech doesn’t sound like it contains a lot of wisdom. He was the son of poor immigrants and dropped out of school after the 8th grade. In spite of this be became an MVP and winner of a record ten world series. He was a successful manager and many of his quotations have become known throughout our culture. As this book shows, they are not just amusing. The quotes along with Yogi’s philosophy contain a lot of wisdom mixed in with the humor. Many apply very well to the field of education as I try to show here. There are a lot of pages, but they are short and good.
When You Come to a Fork in the Road, TAKE IT!
- Throughout life you come to serious forks in the road – decisions. No matter what decision you make, taking a job, getting married, buying a house, whatever it is, you shouldn’t look back. Trust your instincts. I’ve always done things that feel right. Learn from the choices you make and don’t second guess yourself.
- On big life decisions get all the advice you can. Talk it over with parents, a mentor, a teacher, or a coach. They’ve had more life experience. They have more miles on them and can help you get on the right path. A teacher once asked me, “Don’t you know anything?” I said I don’t even suspect anything.
Enjoy The Moment
- Nobody can help but be nervous in the World Series or at a job interview, or giving a presentation, or when you’re called on in class. You have to channel that nervousness. Enjoy the moment and make it a great experience. You need to learn to relax. You can’t be afraid of making a mistake. There’s always the next inning or the next day. Life goes on.
Nobody Did Nothin’ to Nobody
- There were many times I had to help my teammates so that bad things didn’t happen. When you’re part of a team you stand up for your teammates. Your loyalty is to them. You protect them through good and bad because they’d do the same for you.
