Leaders in the Making Teamwork - Lesson 23 Self-Improving

Think About It... We can do anything we want to do if we stick to it long enough. Helen Keller

Review: Define and list at least two attributes of these eleven character traits. 1.Intentional 7. Selfless 2.Collaborative 8. Dependable 3.Communicative 9. Committed 4.Enthusiasm 10. Relational 5.Adaptability 11. Disciplined 6.Competent

The Self-Improving Person... is teachable. believes in continuous learning. is not afraid of introspection. changes because they want to, not because they have to.

A Word From Michael... One summer Sunday, the church’s music director came up to me and asked me if I would play my trumpet for the offertory during a Sunday morning church service. Of course I said that I would. I soon realized that I had made a pretty important commitment. I knew that if I was going to play in front of the whole church I would want to do a good job. Instead of wishing I would play really well, I decided to do something about it. Once I had picked out the song I was going to play, I set to practicing. I decided that I would practice every single day for at least a half- hour. A half an hour doesn’t seem very long, but it soon became boring and tedious, especially since the weather outside was really pleasant. It was very difficult for me to make myself practice, but I did. When the Sunday came, I was really nervous, but on the other hand I was also confident. I knew what I could do. All the practice paid off. The song went smoothly and I didn’t miss a note. I was glad that I had put in all the time to practice. Michael Cousins

Self-Improving? Was Michael self-improving? How did Michael exhibit the character traits of self-improving? What other character traits did it take for Michael to make himself practice? Can you think of a time when you wanted to better yourself through practice? Was there a time when you had to practice self-improvement and you didn’t want to? What happened? What benefits do you receive from being self-improving?

Beat the Record Briefing: As you work through this simple activity, think about how devoted you must be to be self-improving. Consider what it means to be teachable. Activity: The goal is to beat your last record. As a group decide on the sequence of activity. Choose at least three items to include in your sequence. Then line everyone up to participate. Mark off the starting line. Go through the activity having each person do his individual best to add to the overall length of the team try. Mark off your ending mark. Try to beat the team record. Choices for activity sequence: standing backward jump standing long jump cartwheel one-legged hop handstand walk

Let’s Talk About It... 1.Was everyone able to participate in their best event? 2.How did it feel to make a contribution to the team? 3.Who acted as the leaders for this activity? 4.How was their leadership received? 5.Was anyone left out of the activity? 6.What changes were made in the original line-up? Why were they made? 7.How can you relate this to the classroom? 8.What can you do to help everyone do their best so that your overall classroom team is most successful? 9.Did anyone have to change what they were doing because someone else told them to? 10.Did anyone have to complete an activity that they didn’t want to, but needed to because of the sequence?

Test Questions We’re at the last character trait for this class! With a partner, write five questions (and their answers) relating to the character traits that we’ve covered in class. These could be on your final test!

Journal #27 The self-improving person believes and practices continuous learning. Write about learning. What is it? How do you learn best? Do you like to learn? Why or why not? What would it take for you to be excited about learning? Have you thought about college? What are you going to study? What would you like to study? How can you be a better learner? Who do you know that loves to learn? Why do you think they like it? Why do you think some kids dislike learning?

Ponder This... A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. John Shedd