My teacher didn’t tell me it was due!

In last Saturday’s Women’s Final Four a foul was called in the final 5 seconds of the game that left many feeling like the referees cost the UConn Huskies the game. After the game, UConn star Paige Bueckers declined to place blame on the external factors she could not control. It was a master class in sportsmanship and responsibility. She said:  

“Everybody can make a big deal of that one single play, but not one single play wins a basketball game or loses a basketball game. …We should have done a better job – I should have done a better job of making sure we didn’t leave the game up to chance like that and leave the game up to one bad call [not] going our way and that deciding it.”

For students, blaming the “ref” may sound like this: 

“My teacher didn’t teach it to me.” 

“My teacher didn’t tell me it was due.” 

“Someone should have reminded me.” 

Blaming external factors deflects personal responsibility. Ultimately success comes from giving our best to the things we can control and accepting the things that we cannot.