How I didn’t use the 4 way test by Talia Conn

The Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cites
Talia Conn, Second Place
Grade 3,  Ocean View Elementary School
Principle: Sarah Butler

This is a story of how I didn’t use the 4 way test.

If you know me I play Condors club soccer and my dad is the coach. In my first game I had a bad attitude. We were in Bakersfield, we had no subs, and were the youngest team.

This is how I got the bad attitude. I was on defense. The other team already had 1 point. A girl on the other team shot the ball and it bounced off my foot into the goal! That got me upset and ashamed. So I didn’t do anything. And that also made my dad mad. So he told me to get off the field. I shook my head no. But my dad wouldn’t let me get away with it so he stopped the game all because of me and I got out of the game and without me the other team got four goals. Not only that but my team had to work harder because of me!

I learned to never do silly stuff like that ever again, and think before I do.

This is why my behavior was not a good example of the 4 way test.

1. I was not truthful because when I sat out, I blamed it on my mother.
2. I wasn’t being fair because I let my team down.
3. It did not build good will and better friendships because I was not a good team player.
4. It was not beneficial to all concerned because I was being the opposite of a leader and I made the rest of my team feel bad for me and not do their best.

The next game we lost, but I tried.