Persistence - the ability to keep moving forward, inspite of difficulties.

~Bryon Pulsifer

A positive attitude makes a positive difference!

Greetings, Mustangs!

I hope that you had a great weekend.

For those of us who love football, it's that time of year again. Football may not look quite the same during a pandemic, but it gives those of us who love the game something to watch on Sundays…lol! As I thought about watching my favorite team today, I also thought about what makes them a successful team. Is it the coach? The star quarterback? Maybe it’s the elite offensive and defensive squads? No, I think it is the team as a whole working as one successful unit. No one person makes the team successful, but it is everyone pulling together for the good of the organization. As I read through excerpts from an article by Grant Winstrom entitled The Importance of Teamwork: What Football Can Teach Us About Finding Success as a Team, I can see how football can teach us a few valuable lessons in teamwork that we can apply on our grade level teams and our school-wide team.

As in football, each team member contributes to the success of the team, so understanding and trusting your teammates is crucial. Believing in the vision of your coach(es) is key. The success of a football team depends on a high level of coordination and collaboration. If even one teammate isn’t invested, it can affect the entire team. Just like being a part of a football team, being a part of our LMS teams require the same kind of collaboration. You’ve got to know who you’re working with, be invested in the overall success of the team and the school, and work at performing your role to the best of your ability. As with football, you will likely experience high points and low points and need to lean on your team for support and motivation along the way. Football can teach us many valuable skills, and they easily translate to team collaboration:

Leadership

A football coach has a great responsibility to the team. Not only are coaches invested in the success of the team as a whole, but they also aim to motivate each individual player. The coach has the duty of taking their many different players and creating a cohesive team that accomplishes what’s needed. Grade level leadership (APs, Content Leads, Team Leads, Instructional Coaches) need this same skill set. They need to be role models who inspire the success of their team so that the whole team can flourish.

Learn from Failure

Football teaches us to grow from mistakes and to bounce back from failure as individuals and as a team. Even great football teams know the feeling of occasional failure. It’s never fun to lose, but a good team doesn’t let a loss keep them down. With any defeat, a team can observe what went wrong and try to change their strategies for the next game. School teams can learn to find lessons in failure in the same way. Football players will inevitably get knocked down, but they continue to get back on their feet. The state of failure is only temporary — it’s what you decide to do with it that determines your ultimate success.

Importance of bonding

Observing any great team, it’s obvious how connected the players are. Great teams only get to that point through the hard work they accomplish together. No one player can carry the team on their own. Training will be exhausting, and the physical demands can test a player’s resolve; but these shared experiences help the team grow together and build trust and loyalty. This proves true for school team as well. Forming strong connections to your colleagues is a great way to build a foundation for success. Without these bonds, a weak group dynamic can be detrimental to the team as a whole.

Positivity drives the team

Every coach and player shares the same goal — to win. All the grueling work required is in effort to accomplish this goal; though, of course, in every game, one team will achieve victory while the other will endure defeat. Take a look at some of the greatest teams and you’ll see that they remain positive, even in the face of defeat. A positive attitude has a much greater power than a negative one when it comes to a team sport. A positive team can motivate each other and achieve success better than one that dwells on negativity can.

Importance of accountability

When you’re part of a team, your work isn’t just for you. You train hard and show up for your teammates, even on the days when you might not feel as inspired. Your success is shared with your team, and you feel a responsibility to the group as a whole to do your part. A strong school team will run in a similar way. The sense of accountability to the team will fuel everyone to perform at their best.

Whether on a football field or in a school, teamwork is a skill that can make or break your success. Only by working together and understanding each other can you perform your best as a team. Football is much more than a game. It’s a great teacher, especially when it comes to teamwork. The life lessons gained from this collaborative sport can help professionals work better in their teams and achieve the success they are striving for.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?!?

Let's remain SAFE, SOLUTION-FOCUSED, and SANE.

Remember, we have the POWER of ONE!

We are STRONGER TOGETHER!

Your Proud Principal,

Dr. Irish