COACH CARTER QUESTIONS

1. In the locker room after the St. Francis game, are the Richmond team members
demonstrating responsibility? WHY or WHY NOT?

No, because they are fighting, acting like little kids.

2. What is the locker-room conversation doing to the players’ self-esteem?

They are making each other feel less, and this has a negative impact on the players’ self
esteem.

3. What do you think motivates Coach Carter to take the low-paying coaching job?

To make a difference, it’s not about the money.

4. What does Coach Carter say is one way to demonstrate respect to an adult? When using
these terms, which type of growth is demonstrated (physical, social, emotional, intellectual?

Saying the word is and not insulting others or calling them in a way that might hurt their
feelings, following this demonstrates all types of growth and develops great values.

5. Cruz thinks that it is funny to stage an attack on several of the basketball players walking
home from practice. The basketball players don’t think it is funny. Compare the values of the
basketball players with those of Cruz.

The players’ values are better than his, because the players know what is right and what
isn’t, and they stand for what’s right, they know what they are worth, on the other hand Cruz
thinks the way of solving problems is hurting others, and that’s just irresponsible and
immature.

6. Do you think that the contract is fair? What does your opinion say about your values?

I do, because if you’re going to be in a team, you need to know how to work in team and be
open minden, respectful, and cooperating.

7. How does Coach Carter’s son Damien demonstrate perseverance in achieving his goals?

He doesn’t care about what other people think, he is confident and doesn’t give up despite
the obstacles and difficulties.

8. After the first basketball game, what does Cruz do to try to boost his self-esteem? Does
he succeed in raising his self-esteem?
9. Once Cruz asks Coach Carter if he can return to the team, how does he demonstrate self
discipline?
He does what the coach tells him to do.

10. What value does the team show by helping Cruz do push-ups and suicides?

They show loyalty and union by helping one of the team members even though the
punishment was only for him.

11. When the team is gathered reading the newspaper, the coach comes in and asks Battle
how he sees himself. What is his response? What is Battle’s self-concept (think about skills).
He has a really high self-esteem and says the team wouldn’t be as good without him.

12. Rather than storming off the court, what would be a better way for Junior Battle to show
his frustration? What type of growth is this (physical, social, emotional, intellectual, moral)?
It would be better for him to learn how to express himself and talk with the coach.

13. Are Kenyone and Kira loyal to each other at the dance? What types of problems does
this create in their relationship?
No, Kenyone starts dancing with other girl, and Kira does the same with the purpose of
making him jealous, this actitudes are just childish and immature, they won’t work like a
team with that mindset or by letting their jealousy get upon them.

15. When the players do wrong, they are required to do suicides. What stage or level of
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development does this action indicate?
This indicates that you have to learn from your mistakes and all your actions have
consequences.

16. Running suicides helps you to grow. What type of growth do you experience? (physical,
emotional, social, intellectual, philosophical, or chronological?)

You experience physical growth because you get to improve your condition, and you also get
emotional, and philosophical growth by learning from your mistakes.

17. What does Coach Carter value more, winning basketball games or an education? Which
do you value more and why?
An education, he wants all the team to graduate colleague, I think the same, I think it’s more
important to have a proper education that can help you during your whole life than just a
superficial achievement like a basketball game.

18. Because Coach Carter expects that the students do well in school, they start to study
and do well. How do other people’s expectations of you affect your behaviors?
If you care about others perception of you, you will probably change the way in which you
behave in order to satisfy others expectations, if you don’t care, you’ll probably do whatever
you want.
19. At the press conference, several of the boys are off to the side talking. Which player
demonstrates that they have the values which establish character? (if you can’t remember
names write down what he says)

Battle and Kenyone

20. Think about the scene with Cruz and the killing of his cousin. Why is it important to have
goals and the self-discipline to achieve them?

It's important because without discipline there’s no consistency, and without consistency
there is no progress, and without progress you can’t achieve anything.

21. How does the coach demonstrate compassion towards Cruz?

By giving him the hug and support he needed.

22. Do you agree with the lock-out? Why or why not?

Yes, because school and education is a priority, and they were forgetting that, they thought
basketball was more important than school, so they were leaving their studies a side. So I do
think it was a fair decision, in the end, it’s all for them.

23. How did the boys grow intellectually from the lock-out? What was available to them in
their environment to help them grow intellectually?

They grew by working, the only thing available to them was school, because they didn’t have
the gym anymore so now they had to rely on Coach Carter and work as a team to improve in
school and so that they could open the gym again. In this way, they learned that sometimes
you have to make sacrifices even though you don’t want to in order to achieve your goals.

24. Coach Carter stood up for what he believed in. What does this say about his character?

This says that he respects himself, and he just cares about what he thinks about himself
and not about what others think

25. How does the basketball team show that they are loyal to Coach Carter after the school
board has called off the lock-out?

They all try to get better at all their subjects so that they can improve in school as Coach
Carter asked them to.