100 Years of Wisdom (1926-2026)

That’s the title of the discussion I was asked to share with my church study group last Sunday. My good friend, Rev. Douglas Boydon, assisted me in this venture.  If you are reading this blog on the date that it’s being published, tomorrow will be the 100th anniversary of my birth.

I, modestly and actually, suggested that this is my 100th Year of Trial and Error. Let me just share some of my thoughts with you.

I was born in LaSalle, Illinois, on May 31, 1926, to parents that immigrated from Italy. They became firm and loyal citizens of the United States and my three brothers and sisters and I followed in their footsteps. My three brothers were in the Army in WWII and I was in the Navy. My sister and father worked in a factory that produced instruments for our war planes.

After a youthful history of sports and schooling, I earned an EdD degree in

Psychology and a lifetime of being a professor in several colleges, including Elmhurst University, Langston University, and the University of Oklahoma. (Yes, I know my favorite team of all, the Sooners softball team lost last week, ending a historical record - Wait til’ next year!)

My late wife. Bobbie Bullard Pierro, was an outstanding music teacher and performer playing the french horn in two symphony orchestras and receiving a John F. Kennedy Award for her work in teaching music to children.

After 40 years in Oklahoma, I returned to Illinois and I live in Naperville, a large suburb of Chicago.  After writing several books on teaching and sports, I recently wrote a book, Grassroot Coaching, with Peter J. McGahey, professor at West Virginia University. We write and publish Blogs on sports psychology together.

Some thoughts I would like to leave with you from my life and work:

Mistakes

A mistake is a sign from Sarah that tells you, the coach, that here is a place that you can help her.

Learning

I learn with my players and from my players. Learning is the process for growth. 

Questions are the path to your players’ learning. We often teach, teach, teach with no knowledge of what may be being learned. 

Helping the young player

Player, holding the ball with the wrong hand placement: “I don’t know how to make the bounce pass.”

Coach: “Show me what you can do.”  and helps him make corrections.

The Learnable Moment

When Patty comes off the field having made a mistake in failing to back up the 3rd baseman, don’t holler at her. She will defend herself by turning you off - she will not hear any good advice you may be giving her. As soon as appropriate, ask her, “What happened on that play?” and listen to her. You have opened the door for a possible learning, awareness moment.

Erase, Erase

My new acquaintance kept saying things, such as, “I was going to go to college but I didn’t want to wear out my brain” I said, “Why do you talk so negatively about yourself?” He replied, “Oh, I’m just kidding.” Well, that brain of his didn’t know that he was kidding – it accepts what he said as the truth about himself and his abilities. When I say something negative about myself, I catch it and say “Erase, Erase.” and make a positive comment.