Knowledge and Patience
Growth Mindset Leads to Opportunity for One Scholar
By John Hill
April 6, 2022
By day Tirza Cortes has many titles - classmate, friend, and student. But at practices for boys’ Junior High basketball she has another title: Coach Tirza. It all started about a year ago as a first-year player for the girls’ Junior High basketball team. Tirza quickly gained the reputation of being coachable. “I remember from our girls’ season that I really enjoyed being coached,” said Tirza. Being coachable allowed her to become knowledgeable - last month’s Character Pillar at Heritage Academy. “I am always looking for someone to tell me how to do something better. I learned a lot of plays. I learned how to be dynamic.”
Tirza arrived with a growth mindset when she first joined the team as a 7th grader. With a fixed mindset she probably would not be where she is now; but she always saw the possibilities in front of her. She never saw herself as the player she was, instead she always saw herself as the player she could and would become. In leading her team to a perfect 9-0 record in her 8th grade season, she eventually became that player.
Being the most knowledgeable player she could be and always seeing possibilities for improvement was a big part of her success. This naturally fed into her desire to coach. “I see so much potential with our boys’ basketball team. I think they will have a lot of coachable moments and that I can help them a lot.” Like any coach, she has the knowledge and wants to help the team become winners by sharing what she knows.
Building knowledge and embracing the possibilities for improvement are only part of Tirza’s success. Another important ingredient is patience - patience as a player on the court; patience with teammates (particularly younger players), and patience with herself in developing her skills step by step. “Sometimes when you don’t do it right the first time you kind of want to give up,” reflected Tirza. “You have to be patient with yourself and have patience with others. I learned how to be more patient as a player and as a person in our program.” Tirza’s knowledge and patience is a valuable combination for our boys’ program. Most of our players are new to the team and competitive basketball, just like Tirza when she first started. They need knowledge, and they need patience. Tirza is here to provide both for them.
Knowledge and patience, combined with a growth mindset, can lead to a lifetime of opportunities in one’s future. But sometimes that future is found in the present - just ask Coach Tirza.
Tirza Cortes is an 8th grade scholar at Heritage Academy Maricopa. She is an honor roll student who credits her family and her faith for her success. Her goals include going to college and becoming an anesthesiologist. The quote she lives by is “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you” (Derek Jeter).
John Hill is an English teacher and basketball coach at Heritage Academy Maricopa. He works to instill the growth mindset in his scholar students and athletes every single day.
