Smart choices – a small phrase that we, as a
school, have stressed to our students. This concept has been reinforced
from each guest speaker we have hosted, whether it be Aaron Davis or Mike
Smith, they have stressed the importance of smart choices. Smart choices
– a little phrase that takes so little time to say, but packs a big punch.
During the Christmas break, we all traveled
to Phoenix to visit Karla’s family – her sister and brother have lived there
for years, but her mom and dad recently retired there from Minnesota. We stayed
with her sister’s family, which gave us some quality, family bonding time.
Since they are NOT morning people, I had some time to take Libby (our dog) out
for a walk and shower before anyone else was thinking of getting up. One
morning as I was enjoying a cup of coffee and the sunrise, it reminded me of an
article I read on one of our previous trips to AZ. In this article, the
author, Tom Kuyper, wrote a letter to his coach, but from a kindergartner’s
perspective. The letter was a New Year’s list of things for the coach to
understand. In it, he tried to impress that as kids, they just want to
play. Winning and losing didn’t matter as long as they got to play and be
with their friends. Please don’t bench “us” when we make mistakes or when
we missed practice – they wanted to make it but mom and dad made them go to the
class play instead. This article made me think and wonder if we are
sending the right message to our kids? Are we stressing the importance of
winning instead of teamwork and improvement? Are we making the smart
choices as coaches, sponsors, and parents? Are we providing a positive
example for others to follow?
Kids are not always going to make the
smartest choices. But as adults, we need to guide them along the way and
help provide them the opportunities to learn and make informed
choices. In a recent leadership workshop, the idea of developing a
purposeful community was discussed. To develop this purposeful community,
everyone must work together and make informed choices. But not all
choices should be made for the children (students). If this is done, it
leads to “learned helplessness.” If a student does not experience success or
failure, they learn to be helpless and then nothing they do matters
anyway. We, as a community, need to provide opportunities for our
students to make these smart choices and also to provide positive examples for
them to emulate.
Everyone makes mistakes – but if we learn
from our mistakes, then we become winners in the end. As a purposeful
community, we need to provide opportunities for our students and show them the
right thing to do. Some of the smartest people can make the stupidest
mistakes – but we must learn from them and move on. Are we making smart
choices? Are we providing an opportunity for someone to learn? Are
we providing a positive example for others to emulate? Think about how
the choices we all make affect those around us. Mike Smith summed it up in his
presentation to the students earlier this year by asking the question, “What
will your legacy be when you leave? The choices you make know build this
legacy.”
Thought for the month:
As simple as it sounds, we all must try to
be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of
the talents we've been given. - Mary Lou Retton
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