Assistant Principal - Pastoral Care

I recently had the pleasure of co-coaching the under 13s Country Cup and under 14s Cochrane Cup Rugby League teams. It brought back many fond memories of my own football days together with the wonderful memories of all the teams I have coached over the years. There have been many triumphs but also losses, however, the constant that has always stood true, was the teamwork that was displayed in every game.

Teamwork is not confined to the sporting field or court. But rather, is an integral to the smooth workings of many groups of individuals e.g families, friendship groups or school communities, just to name a few. The key elements to successful teamwork are trust, communication, relationships, communication and effective leadership.

Teamwork is an essential part of accomplishing our responsibilities and goals. Truthfully, nothing would ever get done without teamwork. When we work together, we can get things done faster and more accurately. It’s an important life skill that parents can teach their children from a young age to help them succeed. Every child has different strengths and skills, and allowing children to practice teamwork gives them a chance to develop and appreciate their special talents. I firmly believe the best way to demonstrate teamwork to our children is to be a good example of a team member for example:

• Committed team members give their time and energy to someone or something they believe in.
• We can’t always predict when changes are going to happen, much less prepare for them. That’s why flexibility is so important. When a team member is flexible, they typically are also versatile, resilient, and responsive to change.
• You are only an effective team member if you respectfully consider the viewpoints and ideas of other people as well. We need to be mindful of what our children hear us say about others.

However, effective communication is the most important part of teamwork and involves consistently updating each person and never assuming that everyone has the same information. Being a good communicator also means being a good listener. By listening to your ‘team’ you show them respect, which is an essential trust-building method.

Family teams form the first interaction for our children, and the skills learned in the family team setting will help to lead to success in the other teams encountered in life.