We Made Some Errors

I was talking with Rudy Schouten, PJMS 8th grader and baseball player, last year after one of his games. The team had unfortunately lost 4-2. I knew they had lost the game, but I was looking to create some conversation with the young man. 

I said, “Tell me about your game.”  He responded, “We played well, and we played hard. We were winning 2-0, and then we made a couple of errors.”

I asked, “Who made the errors?”

He said, “WE DID… as a team.”

I loved Rudy’s answer. He did not name names, did not point the finger at anyone, or place blame. He didn't hold resentment towards anyone. He answered in such a way that it was about the whole team, good or bad. He also spoke joyfully about the team.

What a great leadership gesture from such a young man. He also spoke highly and respectfully of the other team, even in defeat.

What can we, as adults and fellow students, learn from this? A few points:

• Take ownership in your school, team, club, grade, and more.
• Focus on the positive. When you look for a negative, that’s what you’ll find.
• Absorb the criticism and pass the praise on to your group.

Kudos to Rudy Schouten for carrying himself with class and showing respect for his team and teammates, even in defeat.

Keep rolling, Port! I love that we can learn about leadership in our lives in all of our interactions. There is Port Pride in all we do. Thank you, Rudy, for modeling this. Our conversation seemed simple,  yet the words “we did” are very powerful in so many ways.  #GoPort!

Want to write a #PortPride blog spot?  We want this blog to be written by a variety of people connected to Port Jervis: students, staff, alumni, BOE members, community leaders, and more.  Have a recommendation for a person, program, place, or happening that should be written about?  Reach out to Mr. Marotta at amarotta@pjschools.org or via phone 845-858-3100 x5534