Marina and I snuck out of work today to go and watch the basketball team for at least one game. You'd think as principal I could get to do whatever I like. No such luck but a huge perk is that I do get to see these special events.
Charlotte is the ever present teacher supporting and managing her teams. Of course their coach Dave Langrell is always there for them and he does a truly amazing job of coaching and encouraging. Dave's legacy over the years must amount to hundreds of children that he has inspired to play basketball and enjoy sport. He has a fantastic balance of competitive spirit and support. He knows how to manage the disappointment of loss and the need to feel the sadness and use it to get better and to try harder next time. That's such an important skill for children to learn. You don't learn resilience on a course. You learn resilience when you realize that you can't win everything and that sometimes others are better, smarter, prettier and more determined than you are. Our sense of sadness and disappointment and tears help us to grow and to change.
I think we all thought that our team might have won the at game but the score didn't reflect that so Dave just helped the children to move on to the next challenge.
We are very grateful for the parents and staff who give so much to ensuring that our tamariki have every opportunity to experience so many opportunities.
