We had a lot of fun at Schechter Bergen in the weeks and days leading up to the Super Bowl. In case you didn’t know, I am originally from Philadelphia and had a father who was a “maniacal” Eagles fan. It skipped me and was passed on to my younger son. Nonetheless, I learned to be an Eagles fan, and played it for what it was worth in a sea of Giants fans at school. I had my allies at Schechter Bergen, but we were definitely in the minority. (Thanks Yoni Shear.) 

The weekend the Eagles and Giants were in the playoffs, a colleague came and asked me to wish the Giants good luck during the morning announcements. I told her that I could not do that and she argued back that most of the Kehillah was made up of Giants fans. I retorted that while that may be true, I controlled the microphone.  Of course I wished the Eagles luck instead. The week of the Super Bowl, every morning announcement had a quote that was somehow related to Eagles, including quotes from the Tanach. I was having fun.

And then, on Friday afternoon before the Super Bowl, there was an “insurrection” at school. Another teacher, who knows the code to the PA, came on the loudspeaker wishing the Kansas City Chiefs good luck and that they should smash the Eagles. Chutzpah!  (Don’t worry, she still has her job!) 

As we know, it did not work out for my father’s z”l beloved Eagles. I did not want to acknowledge the loss on Monday morning and give anyone the satisfaction, so my morning announcements consisted of acknowledging how great Sunday evening was because of Rihanna’s halftime show, and my quote that morning was, “Learn how to be a loser, because it's important to be a loser to be a winner.” That was the closest I came to acknowledging the loss.

And then, later that night, I came across an article recounting the interview Eagles Quarterback, Jalen Hurts gave about his loss to the Chiefs. Apparently he sat for nine minutes discussing the loss and answering questions about his fumble and his emotions, and he kept coming back to the same mantra: “You either win or you learn.” 

That quote struck me. What class - more than I exhibited. He didn’t make excuses, and he didn’t get mired in wallowing about losing either. Instead, he turned it into an opportunity to learn. He went on to say, “That’s how I feel. You either win or you learn. Win, lose, I always reflect on the things I could have done better, anything you could have done better to try and take that next step. That’ll be the same process I always have going on.”

We should never learn “how to be a loser” as my quote referenced, but rather how to be a constant learner - to take our experiences, including failure, and learn from them.

I had to laugh at myself. It was right in front of me and I missed it. We tell our students all of the time we learn from failure and we move on. That is how we get better. No excuses and no shame. 

When I made the announcements on Monday morning, I should have embraced the loss as an opportunity - perhaps an opportunity to exhibit humility. It took a young quarterback to remind me of that. When we don’t win, when we make mistakes or lose, what can we learn? How can we improve? Everyday that God gives us the gift of life, we have the opportunity to learn and become a better version of ourselves, for ourselves and for others. That’s what Jalen was saying - that should have been my message, too. Next time - because there will be a next time. (Philadelphia fans know that!)

Thanks Jalen!

And - Fly Eagles Fly. See you next year at the Super Bowl.