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Life Skills: Teamwork Spells Success for Families

Teaching character and life skills to students

“A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skills of the others.” –Norman Shidle

I thought this was an interesting quote, especially when dealing with the family unit.  If we want our family to work as a team, there are steps to take first to ensure that everyone can be sure of themselves and the role that they play in the task at hand.

First, all members of the family need to have a clear vision of the end result and to see how it will benefit them and the rest of the ‘team’.  Then they must realize that the part they have been asked to perform or they have accepted to do is an integral part of the whole picture.  Helping them to believe that they are important and responsible for a key part of the big picture.

Being sure that each team member is capable of or been trained for their task will help to keep them focused and not get discouraged prior to the completion of the task.  Especially with children, we may believe that they know something that they have not mastered yet, and they may get discouraged.

Make sure the whole team knows what the end results will look like and keep them on track by developing a spirit of cooperation.  It may be that you will work together on a portion of the project – and be willing to praise the younger member for the contribution they are making.  If there are any complaints, be sure to address them quickly and work to keep the mood light and encouraging the entire time.  In the end reward your ‘team’ with praise for a job well done and with a special treat of something that they consider ‘great’.

These steps will help us for work that needs to be done in the garden or in the house.  They will help the entire family focus on what is important to your family in education, spirituality, vacations or work in the community.

Henry Ford said, “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”

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10 Part Series on Teacher Characteristics and Classroom Management

Today was the first post in a 10 part series for teachers on classroom management.  The idea is to provide help for teachers and parents (parents are teachers too) for helping to eliminate bullying in your classroom or home.  Learning is best done when all students feel safe and secure, and are not afraid of being picked on.

Please join our efforts to create that situation for all students at Bully Prevention Partners.  We are looking to engage teachers, parents and students in our discussion on creating a culture of peace in the classroom.

Do not wait till your son or daughter is the target of a bully.  You can help them now – not to be the target and to have the strength to stand up for themselves and others in bullying situations.   Invite your children’s teachers to visit and contribute to Bully Prevention Partners.  Together we can make a difference.

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Backpack Drive by the Junior League of Annapolis at Punks Grill Tonight

Balanced Life Skills is pleased to support the Junior League in this effort to provide backpacks for children in our community.  Join us on Monday as we support the Junior League of Annapolis‘ Book Bag Drive.

** All day long — Bring in a new book bag and get 20% off your meal **Balanced Life Skills supports back pack drive

This is the 18th year that JLA will provide 1000 kids in the Annapolis Area with their school supplies for the year. The book bags will be given to students at Georgetown East Elementary, Germantown Elementary, Tyler Heights Elementary and Eastport Elementary School.

Thanks to Punks Grill for hosting this event.

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Sensei Keiko Fukuda is Awarded her 10th Dan

She is 98 years old.  There are only 3 persons in the world to this date awarded their 10th Dan in Judo.  At this moment there is a fourth and a woman.  She is Sensei Keiko Fukuda.  An amazing teacher with dedication to her art and her vision, setting the example for all others that would be a teacher of martial arts.  A great example to young people of the world, to set a goal and to work at it with dedication.

There is a filmmaker in San Francisco that has been working on a documentary about her life .  I have personally supported this work and look forward to the completion of the documentary.  In a post made a while back we showed a film clip about her life.  You may want to revisit that video here.   Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful

Every student of the martial arts, no matter your style, should look at her example.

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Life Skills: Teamwork In Sports or Family Results in Success

Teaching character and life skills to students

Have you ever seen or been on a team that just clicked, everything went well, even when there were obstacles? It is fun to be on a team like that. Have you ever been on a team that no matter how hard you worked the team never quite gelled and what you hoped to accomplish never quite happened. That can be very discouraging. So what is it that makes the difference in a great team and one that does not reach its potential? How does what we learn help us in our families, our most important team.

Great teams and teams that are fun to be on may not always win. But on great teams, that never seems to persuade them from having a positive attitude. Even when things do not go as planned or hoped for, the members of the team always look on the bright side and are willing to give credit to each other and appreciate the effort that they put into the task at hand.

Great teams display great sportsmanship. No matter if they win or lose, they are fair and kind both to each other and those that they played against. They put forth their best effort and play by the rules, never cheating or lying. Teams that display sportsmanship are willing to compliment others for a job well done instead of bragging, criticizing or making fun of others on or off of their team.

Great teams and teammates will still make mistakes and not do the job they were assigned as well as they wished they had. But instead of trying to find someone else to blame, they quickly acknowledge their mistakes, learn from them and then work on doing better the next time. All of these things are true of teams that we play and work on, but they are also true of our most important team – our family.

In our family we want to display a positive attitude, even when things do not go the way we would have liked or planned. If there is an obstacle, we talk to others in the family, prioritize what our values are, make choices that are best for the team – not just one individual. Great families create a culture of being fair to all and understanding that fairness does not mean you will get your way all of the time. Great families work hard together on projects that meet the values and mission of their family, with everyone contributing what they are able to their projects. They are willing to listen to each other and set their own ego’s to the side for the good of the team.

Developing our values and mission as a family and then working together to meet our goals as a team, teaches our children about teamwork and creates a very close and strong family. If someone were to ask you what is your mission / goals as a family, you want to be able to state it simply and clearly. Having the values spelled out and a mission understood is the first step in creating a great team.