The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause; who at best know the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. ~Theodore Roosevelt
CARE to be the best. It’s not an interrogative; it’s a statement. CARdinal Excellence means working to stay at the top of your game. It’s pretty appropriate considering we just finished our winter season of Wrestling State Championships (great job, Cardinals! So proud of you!) and are entering a full week of girls and boys basketball districts. To be at the top of your game takes work. Our coaching staff knows this as well as anyone on staff.
To be at the top of your game, you must have the initial drive and motivation to want to be the best. Do you have that or have you given in to the winter woes and have you decided that what you are doing is “good enough?” Coach Musser doesn’t draw top baseball players because they are half-hearted about wanting to play Cardinal Baseball. They come to win, and they know what that means.
Being at the top of your game means you must have a plan for winning. Do you have a plan? Is it just in your head or do you have it mapped out? I know for a fact that Coach Goodwin or Coach Ross don’t just have the plan “in their heads,” they map out their game plan. They have to share that plan with their assistant coaches and players. If everyone doesn’t own the plan, then it’s just one person’s dream. What is your plan for winning for the rest of our school season? Is it measureable? Is it achievable? A good plan must be both.
Being at the top of your game means practice – and lots of it. The practice comes over time. Time is a factor in preparedness as much as it is in rigor. Put time into your plan.
Being at the top of your game means setting goals. Coach Hubbard set his goals one step at a time. In the world of wrestling, the outlying factors – from injury to illness – can mess with the best of plans and timelines. But with a overarching GOAL – achieving that goal is always a focus. Set your goal. Start with small goals that add up to a greater achievement. With only 11 weeks of school left, your goals are easier to map out and achieve. You need to CARE to be the best at Benton. Success doesn’t come by accident.
And your own personal best isn’t accidental either. After learning about text complexity, vocabulary instruction, and comprehension strategies, are you implementing your learning to be the best you can be in the classroom? Where are you as a reader yourself? I challenge each one of you to read ONE educational journal article per month for the rest of the year. That’s only three total articles. You read to be metacognitive about the comprehension strategies AND to learn more about your profession. It’s a win-win. It’s what it takes to be at the top of your game. It’s what it takes to CARE to be the best.
Week 26 – A Look Ahead
Monday – Book Fair (Library)
Tuesday – Book Fair (Library); JEPD on Registration (look for schedule to be emailed)
Wednesday — Book Fair (Library)
Thursday – Book Fair (Library)
Friday — Book Fair (Library)