Monday morning assemblies with Coach Matt are always inspiring. This morning was no different.  He ended his assembly by having one of our students read Robert Fulghum’s poem, All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten. It is true and we try to be sure all our Meadowbrook students know this, too!

1. Share everything.
2. Play fair.
3. Don’t hit people.
4. Put things back where you found them.
5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS.
6. Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
7. Say you’re SORRY when you HURT somebody.
8. Wash your hands before you eat.
9. Flush.
10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
11. Live a balanced life – learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.
12. Take a nap every afternoon.
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die. So do we.
16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first words you learned – the biggest word of all – LOOK.

At assembly on Monday, Coach Matt shared with our students Christian Larson’s The Optimist’s Creed.  In his talk with the students he lead by example admitting that he made a mistake leaving the heat on all weekend in the gym, acknowledged that, asked for forgiveness and moved on to get a pie in the face from Johnny. Thanks, Coach Matt, for the words of wisdom and for being a good sport! Want to see Coach Matt get pied?

“Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this fact to the world,not in loud words but great deeds.To live in faith that the whole world is on your side so long as you are true to the best that is in you.” – Christian D. Larson

Each day when we play in the classroom of Physical Education, I know there will be a lesson. Maybe it’s for me, the students, or for all of us. We have focused the last few weeks on spacing and sharing through soccer and handball. Spacing and sharing are really important sport concepts that are often difficult to learn, especially for younger players who tend to follow the ball. Your Meadowbrook students are learning how to move without the ball and communicate a ‘give and go’ to help them find success when they play.

Each level, from pre-school on up to six grade, is learning how to work together. Over the past several weeks, we have instituted captains for teams and to lead warm-ups and drills. The students are learning that being a captain doesn’t mean that your job is to tell everyone what to do. Being a captain is about leading by example, listening to others, and showing good sportsmanship when we win or lose.

Sportsmanship is something that we stress daily. Some of the classes are very competitive with one another, and a lot of that is good when channeled. Learning how to deal with those emotions when your team wins or loses is something that we all can attest can be challenging, especially when our point of view tells us that things are not fair. “Life’s not fair, nor are sports” is a good lesson that we preach daily. What we believe and stress is that all we can do is improve ourselves and impact our team in a positive way.

Sports and life will challenge us all each day. Consider talking to your child each day about your own challenges and what you are doing to lead in your own classroom of life. Leading is setting the example for those around us, especially our children who are watching us each day.

Coach Matt
The Meadowbrook School
PE Teacher
Athletic Director

Upcoming Basketball Programs at The Meadowbrook School