JH & HS Principal - Cherokee ISD By Rebecca Sharkey Anatomy of a Teammate Part 2
Roughly one year ago I shared the story of Patrick Murphy and his Anatomy of a Teammate. The story was about Coach Murphy’s decision to pull a four-time All American and replace her at the plate with a freshman at a crucial moment during Alabama’s playoff run that year. The feel good part of that story was that the freshman hit a grand slam during that at bat, much to the shock of the announcers who were questioning the coach’s decision, and put Alabama on top to stay 4-2. But, Coach Murphy’s focus with his Anatomy of a Teammate was the behavior of the senior who was benched in order to provide the opportunity for the young freshman to shine. When she was pulled, she stood at the top of the dugout steps cheering her replacement. When the freshman hit the grand slam, Brittany Rogers, the senior athlete, was the first to leave the dugout and greet the freshman as she crossed home plate celebrating her success. Many of you may remember the Sanskrit term that Coach Murphy provided that was intended to capture the pure joy Rogers felt for the success of her teammate.
The word was “mudita.” A word for which we do not have an English equivalent, but we do have several terms that are its opposite such as jealousy or envy.
I can remember sharing this story with one of my former teams. I remember the look on some of their faces as the recognition set in of some of their past transgressions with a teammate. I can also remember their pledge to do better and to be better toward one another during both their successes and their struggles. And, they were. And, as a result, we were better as a team.
In education, as with many professions, we recognize that we truly must function as a team in order to be successful. We are many who must work together toward a common goal. And, as such, we must be cognizant of the successes and struggles of those around us. We must celebrate our peers in their victories (large or small) and encourage and support those who may be struggling. We have to be mindful that what we say and do builds others up rather than takes them down. We have to function as a team, so we can be successful as a team.