Being a teammate

Teams. Cooperation. Participation. Engagement.  Work.

As I start the new school year next week, I want to commit to a theme: teamwork.  I want students to know HOW to work in a group, WHY it's important, and WHAT to do if something doesn't go the way it's expected.  Of course, they will need to be held accountable for their individual goals, but I want a feeling of collective ownership in the class.

One of the ways I was thinking of introducing this is with "Lessons from the Geese."  In one of the *yawn* countless professional developments I've attended, this one stuck with me for some reason.  It goes like this:

I want the class to use more "we" statements, rather than "I" statements.  I want them to get somewhere together.  Celebrate each other's successes.  We'll see how it goes.

At home, our different personalities sometimes clash.   It's been nice to help the boys get started in the morning, instead of focusing on just MY rush to work.  By the time the alarm goes off, older brother is ready, willing, able, downstairs, setting the table, changed, and so on.  BUT, the younger brother likes to take...his...sweet...time.....

Okay, so he DID put his socks on....

If you've read some of the past posts, we're trying really hard to stay positive, and not do the yelling and the pressuring.  Little brother broke down last week wailing, "Why am I so sloowwww?"  I wanted to chuckle, but he was so genuine.  I bent down to his eye-level, hugged him, and said, "Some people take their time, and that's okay.  But you know what? You've got your brother, your dad, and me to help you out!  We're a team."  As soon as I said that, his shoulders relaxed and he continued on the morning routine.

It made me think of how in teams, people count on each other, and good coaches teach that.  Teammates work together to get to their goals.  It also makes me think that coaches have such a profound responsibility to help instill this value.  We're so lucky that we've encountered so many committed coaches (of course, there have been some of the others) that helped the boys improve their skills.

Jesse gets a pass from a teammate (Coach Dad taught them about transition offense)

Jason takes the shot after great passes from teammates (coach taught them to look for open teammates)

Hopefully, the boys will encourage and help their teammates, whether the team is their family, classmates, or even strangers.  And we want them to be thoughtful especially when encountering a situation where we may not be around to remind them.  Bury "boys will be boys."

Accepting that THERE ARE NO BREAKS

Oh, sure, teachers have "vacations" and "time off."  NOT THE CASE.  A good teacher works at school, after school, at meetings, at home, in the car, in their dreams, during "breaks"...  It's taken me a while to try to separate work/home, and I think I've got a good balance, but, no, there are no breaks.

My hubby gets an earful of "this" meeting, or "that" test, or "these" grades, or "those" students.  My computer never truly sleeps as it searches for articles or video clips that will help students relate to the next unit.

What do teachers really do?  This video is clear: Teachers make it happen.

At home, THERE ARE NO BREAKS.  Children are big, ticking alarm clocks that go off at random times.

The plan was 2 kids, 2 years apart.  Ever since the oldest could walk, we noted their interests.  Now, at 8 and 6, they can handle up to 2 activities at a time. Those 4 activities sometimes fill 6 out of the 7 days of the week.  There was a good 4 weeks where our schedule went like this:

Monday--baseball game

Tuesday--baseball practice/rehearsal

Wednesday--basketball practice

Thursday--baseball game/rehearsal

Friday--baseball practice

Saturday--2 baseball games, basketball game, support cousins at their games, rehearsal

 Fall 

Winter 

Spring 

As we chugged along eating fast-food dinners, sleeping in until the last possible minute, adding miles to the cars, I realized that this busy life is THE life.  The life that we are choosing together.  We want to provide opportunities for the boys to discover their passions.  The above may look like over-kill, but these boys are enjoying every single minute.  School has not suffered, no stresses or tears (well, maybe the occasional whining), but overall, this is turning out to be a crazy, fun time.

Finding the balance between quantity and quality is a goal.  We want to make sure that they are learning sportsmanship, improving skills, building friendships, all the while not feeling like we're forcing them to.  We're lucky that we've come across some good coaches/directors who have similar values.  It really amazes us how these adults can have so much passion for their trade and it truly does make an impact on our boys.  So commendable that these people have families, jobs, responsibilities of their own, and take the time to help other kids be their best.

Through all this madness, how do we the parents keep our sanity?  Sneak away once in a while, of course.  An older couple with kids once gave this advice to a friend: take time as a family, as a couple, and sometimes by yourselves.

Up next...

Summer approaches, the rigid work hours and school bells pause, but life doesn't stop. 

Play will be supervised, meals will be prepared, rooms will be cleaned, writing/art/math will be practiced, camps will be planned, personalities will be shaped to bury "boys will be boys."