If you had to list the top 10 best coaches, Vince Lombardi would undoubtedly make everyone’s list. To be a good coach, you must first be a good teacher.
Summer is a good time for teachers to reflect on what it means to be a good teacher. Vince Lombardi has some answers for us.
They called him a “yeller.” Lombardi yelled at his players. This was one of his trademarks — it was his style of coaching. Many coaches do the same regardless of the sport they are coaching.
Bobby Knight did it when he coached at Indiana. Woody Hayes did it at Ohio State. Should teachers yell? I think not, but they need to find ways to clearly and succinctly emphasize the important things they teach. They don’t have to yell, but they have to make things vivid for students.
Lombardi was tough on his players, but he learned to know each one. He knew their skill level, what they could and could not do, and what motivated each to excel.
He truly cared about his players. At one minute, he might chew out someone, and the next minute he might tell them they have the potential to be the best left guard or tight end in football.
He realized every player was an individual. Teachers need to do the same. Every student is different. Getting to know the students is probably the most important thing a teacher can do to improve performance.
Coaching football was a passion for Lombardi. He loved what he did. He loved every aspect of it. He lived, slept, and ate football. It was his life. Early in his career, he applied for several jobs and was rejected.
Still, he endured and went on to be the best he could be in his career. He started coaching high school football and ended up having the Super Bowl trophy named after him. He never gave up. Teachers have to have a passion for what they do. It is essential in today’s classrooms. Teachers have to like what they do.
Lombardi has said, “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.” What I think Lombardi meant by this was that he sought perfection in everything he did. He wanted his players to do the same.
When I was teaching full-time, I wasn’t so much concerned about the students that did well; I was more worried about the student that didn’t find success. What more could I have done?
This is what Project Graduate is all about. 100% of our students need to find success, and we have to work harder to make it happen. Every student can and needs to be a winner.
Lombardi strived to be the best, but he wasn’t always the best. He lost some championship games but returned and won the next year, the next year, and the next. He won five National Football League championships and two Super Bowls in nine years. He persevered, and his perseverance paid off again and again.
Teachers will have their bad days, but if they possess the quality of perseverance, they will endure and have countless days and years when they can say, “I love being a teacher!” How do you do that? It’s all a matter of attitude. You know the old saying, “It’s not your aptitude that counts; your attitude makes the difference.”
Here’s another secret. The same holds for the students. Students fail not because of their aptitude but because of their attitude. Who helps shape a student’s attitude? The teacher.
No one knew football better than Lombardi. He invented the “run to daylight” and the Green Bay sweep. You might say he was a football genius.
Teachers don’t necessarily need to be a genius at what they teach, but they need to be passionate about what they teach, much like a car dealer is about selling cars. Good teachers try to have their students love what they are learning as much as teachers love what they are teaching.
Vince Lombardi spent two years studying to be a priest. Every morning for most of his life, he would start by attending early morning Mass.
Even as a grown man, he occasionally served as an altar boy. I am not saying that you must be religious to be a good teacher, but believing in a higher power is essential. You have to be a spiritually-minded person. You have to combine a passion for teaching with a passion for your faith.
Why? You can’t become a good teacher on your own. You can’t be the best that you can be. Lombardi realized this; at times, he would have the entire Green Bay Packer team attend mass with him.
Despite the good qualities Coach Lombardi exhibited as a coach, he had one major flaw. You probably guessed what it is. He put his coaching/teaching before his family, and his family suffered because of it.
Teachers need to be careful not to take their work home with them. This is not easy, especially when you possess a great passion for your work. This is also why it is not easy to be a good teacher today. But if you have just a little faith, you can move mountains — best wishes to all teachers.
Have a restful summer. Get ready to move mountains.
Riddle: What can you give away to someone and still have it? (Answer: a positive attitude.)
Thanks to Mayor Jorge Prince for giving out 100% stickers at the Bemidji parade. I can’t think of a better way to spread the word about the need to graduate.
John R. Eggers of Bemidji is a former university professor and area principal. He also is a writer and public speaker.
