TEAMWORK: Stronger Together “Two are Better than One. . .”
TEAMWORK! This word came to me as I was planning for my Elementary Physical Education classes. In the previous months, students learned team sports like basketball and handball. While scoring and winning are the main goals of these sports, it is important that students learn the necessary skills such as dribbling, passing, aiming, and shooting in order for them to score and win. Having focused on teaching students the skills in the first few weeks of team sports, I realized that as much as they need to learn these skills, they have to learn how to play as a team as well.
In competitive PE games, whenever they play, the scenario is either most of the students wanting to have the ball to themselves or a few of the students watching and cheering, forgetting that they are a part of the team. This results in mixed emotions, tears and complaints. It is indeed a learning process that is worth teaching to students because not only are they learning fitness and sports, but they are also learning life skills such as teamwork, collaboration and communication. And we all know that these are very important skills in the real world.
Working together in competitive games is not easy because students are playing under pressure and they are too focused on winning but these situations are opportunities for students to play effectively and harmoniously in both actions and words. As I am reflecting on these scenes happening in PE class, I can’t help but connect it to adulthood. We are all part of a group or team with shared goals. Whether in the workplace, community or church. Just like in PE class, we encounter challenges and conflicts while in the game and to be able to achieve our goals, we have to find COMMON GROUND and work harmoniously. Here at Yokohama Christian School, our common ground is JESUS. We, staff and teachers, are far from being perfect. We have our imperfections that may delay the progress in reaching our goals but having a common ground that guides and changes us each day, we are able to move forward.
The following verses are tied to our school theme: Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” These verses are what the school worship teaches to students each month. Each fruit of the Spirit is being taught to students from Seeds through Upper Elementary. Can you imagine how successful a group can be or how fast a team can achieve their goals if each of them are overflowing with these fruits as they do their part?
To end this blog, I want to share with you an article about teamwork. Why it matters, how to teach your child, challenges and more. How to teach your child teamwork | TheSchoolRun
