Book 3

A Great Team

This volume illustrates the basic virtues needed for daily life through the practice of the values of sports. The importance of honesty, following the rules, the responsibility of playing one’s position within a game, the sense of team leadership, personal improvement, and acknowledging one’s own value are highlighted within the story. The negative results of cheating are also illustrated. Continuing along the line of identifying feelings, they explore the concepts of the “bad loser” and the “gracious winner” in order to encourage the knowledge and control of negative feelings based on the virtues of “team spirit.”

These concepts are then transposed to family life, underlining each of their places within their own families, the role of head of the family and its vital function in the home, the basic rules of living together as a family and the resulting spirit of solidarity.

The comparison with the team is made again in the context of school, where the need for cooperation and the negative result of cheating are obvious, and where treating each other well, encouraging reconciliation and correcting mistakes make for a positive environment.

Team virtues are then applied to the community, highlighting the need for active participation in neighborhood life and society in general. The story explains the work ethic as opposed to cheating and corruption and highlights the social advantages of fair play (cooperation, following the rules, etc.).

Finally, the concept of the “team” is compared to nature itself, showing aspects of genetic heritage, reaffirming respect for diversity (based on the acceptance of every individual’s identity), ecological awareness and healthy actions.

Carlos and Alicia are surprised by the importance of sports in school activities. Guided by teachers like Mr. Sullivan and Mrs Mandy, they discover that everything that applies to sports is reflected in everyday life: first within their own families, then in school (where they take part in a science competition with other classes), in their neighborhood (where they contribute in their own way to keep the neighborhood safe) and even in nature (field trip). They get to know more about nature and genetics when they realize that Max, a boy with Down Syndrome, becomes a great and special friend.

Some of the subjects we explore are:

• Virtues that are developed by means of sports
• Following the rules
• Why cheating is bad (at every level)
• Complementarity and tolerance
• The importance of leadership
• Self improvement
• Team spirit and solidarity in school
• Composition and nature within the family
• Genetic heritage
• Caring for our health