Jesus said, “Do you understand all these things?” They answered “Yes.” And he replied, “Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old.”  

Based on a true account, "McFarland USA" is the story of Jim White who was the founder and the first coach of the cross country program of McFarland High School in McFarland, California. Before he came, he had a problem keeping a teaching and coaching job, ending up in McFarland, and only wanting to stay there until he could find a better job. Quite naturally he was concerned about himself and his family, and looked at his job only as a stepping stone. He started to become successful only when he began to look at the students as people who had problems just the same as he had problems. He began to see what the students needed by being with them not only as a teacher and coach, but as a person interested enough in them to discover their real needs. He set up a very successful cross country program with the students in mind.

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus was a perfect teacher. He wanted his students, that is, his followers, to learn well what he was trying to teach. He asked them as he taught them the important question of whether they understood what he was teaching. When he felt that they did, he gave the characteristic of a good teacher. He had to take out of his storeroom both the new and the old elements of the subject, that is, those things that were "tried and true" in presenting his doctrine, as well as the new doctrine that he wished to establish with his follower's help.

When Jim White began his work at McFarland High School, he was nothing more than a teacher who did not worry so much about whether his students understood what he was trying to teach. He was much more interested in himself and having enough money to support his family. The turning point for him was when he began to try to understand his students and wondered whether they were understanding what he wanted to teach. It began with the sport called "cross country" that was beginning to take shape in the State of California. And it ended only when the students began to see what they were capable of doing.

Jim White became a successful coach because he began to understand what his student athletes had to work with in life. He was able to integrate his understanding with the real life of the athlete, and even take those students further than they even thought possible. A good teacher begins with understanding the student.

We may not all be destined to be teachers or coaches, but whatever our calling in life, Coach Jim White's discovery is an important one for all of us. If we want to work with the people around us with success, we must come to know and understand them in a way that is more than self-serving. 

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son taught us how to teach, and in doing so, how we can work better around other people. May we have the grace to understand those around us in a better light. Be with us, we pray. 

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Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America