In The Beginning

"You know that the beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young and tender thing; for that is the time at which the character is being formed and the desired impression is more readily taken...Shall we just carelessly allow our children to hear any casual tales which may be devised by casual persons, and to receive into their minds ideas for the most part the very opposite of those which we should wish them to have when they grow up?

We cannot...Anything received into the mind at that age is likely to become indelible and unalterable; and therefore it is most important that the tales which the young first hear should be models of virtuous thoughts...

Then will our youth dwell in a land of health, amid fair sights and sounds, and receive the good in everything; and beauty, the effluence of fair works, shall flow into the eye and ear, like a health-giving breeze from a purer region, and insensibly draw the soul from the earliest years into likeness and sympathy with the beauty of reason.

There can be no nobler training than that."

That is one of my favorite literary passages. It is from Plato's Republic. It stimulates the heart of a teacher to be cautious and put alot of thought into the way that they begin the training of their students(in my case, the training of the team). It also challenges the parent not to expose their children to poor teaching. I wonder if Plato would be happy with the direction of the educational system in America right now in terms of the teaching that American children are receiving?

We are about to get things started in the fall at Faulkner and I am excited about that and I am putting a great deal of thought about the scope and sequence of the training of our team from the start. As I was communicating with our players by email recently, I posed the question, "What does it mean to you to be a part of the first team ever at Faulkner?" It seems they are thinking about it as seriously as I am.

Here are some quotes...

"To me it means alot, starting a tradition that will later be used, and building the foundation of what Faulkner Women's Basketball is all about...it is pretty exciting."

"It is an honor to be able to be on the first team at Faulkner..."

"I consider it a great honor to be playing on the first women's basketball team here at Faulkner. It is a big deal to be able to say that I am a part of history at this school..."

"Every time I think of the opportunity I get really excited..."

"...It is an honor to represent the first team at Faulkner. It is a time to set records. It is bringing something to the school that has been missing and making a statement. I am excited to be able to do this and be a part of a team that is going to be great."

There are more quotes, but you get the idea. We are taking seriously the opportunity to get off to a great start. Get your season tickets!

Coach

"You start me up, you start me up... you never stop!"
--Rolling Stones