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Post by Defcord on May 31, 2023 5:48:12 GMT -6
The odds makers have the over/under set at 4.5 for Colorado wins. The Buffalos were a really bad 1-11 last year. So Vegas is thinking Sanders will do a decent job finding improvement. Sanders thinks they will do even better. I have no clue and wouldn’t want to bet that line. But I’d take the over if it was set at 1.5, pretty comfortably. Yeah...I'd probably take the under on this one. People really don't understand how terrible they were last year. I’m on the same page as you. That was a terrible team and they are going to play a pretty difficult schedule. My point is just the best in the world at setting number of wins think they will be better with Sanders. The situation with kids leaving, I see as a positive for the program because as you point out, they were really bad last year, probably worse than many people realize.
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Post by Defcord on May 31, 2023 2:36:46 GMT -6
The odds makers have the over/under set at 4.5 for Colorado wins. The Buffalos were a really bad 1-11 last year. So Vegas is thinking Sanders will do a decent job finding improvement. Sanders thinks they will do even better. I have no clue and wouldn’t want to bet that line. But I’d take the over if it was set at 1.5, pretty comfortably.
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Post by Defcord on May 20, 2023 17:59:44 GMT -6
I just took a head coaching job. I’m telling all the linemen if they make perfect attendance for summer workouts I will give them the ball at least once in a real game. I’m probably a little out of the box but that’s my crew.
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Post by Defcord on May 16, 2023 10:42:16 GMT -6
Tell them if you stay any game you rush for 300+ yards you will let one of them have the ball in the following game.
I was a lineman. I loved it. My son is named after my high school head coach. If he had told me I could get the ball even once, I would have had twins.
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Post by Defcord on May 16, 2023 7:14:14 GMT -6
Between feeding them 2-3 meals a day, "character educating" them, weight training and 2-3 hour practices 6 or 7 days a week they're spending more time with you than they are anyone else, and you're doing it on purpose. Whether that's because you feel some "calling" to be the de facto dad, or just to selfishly win games for your career, it's excessive. It probably is excessive. And in my case I ask because selfishly I would love to win a lot of football games and give kids a great experience. I have been on teams that have won, lost and finished in between. All things being equal, Winning is my favorite. I don't/won't do all of those things and the ones I will do I don't believe have to be heavy time investments. We aren't going to have kids and coaches at school 6/7 days a week. Weight Training can be done during the day and not added to their time commitment. Practices will be 2-3 hours. The closer to 2 the better. Character education will not be excessive and I feel doesn't take any major time commitment beyond teaching kids to play the game the right way fast, disciplined, respectful towards opponents/officials. If adding calories to the program, helps give the program an advantage, then I am all for it and want to know more. If it is a waste of time and money, then I would like to know that as well.
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Nutrition
May 16, 2023 3:25:41 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by Defcord on May 16, 2023 3:25:41 GMT -6
At some point, they're not your kids to raise. I agree but it’s but it’s not about parenting. It’s about performance. The goal is to get as many calories in the kids as possible knowing that between practice and weightroom they may not regularly be eating enough calories. Maybe educating parents is the way to go so families can insure optimal nutrition. After being South Georgia and seeing the level out athletes compared to the Midwest, I was interested to find out if this was one of the reasons why.
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Nutrition
May 15, 2023 15:39:34 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by Defcord on May 15, 2023 15:39:34 GMT -6
How many of you guys are putting extra calories in your kids by keeping snacks on hand, having protein available, feeding them actual meals regularly/daily?
When I was in South Georgia pretty much every program that I was familiar with was having team meals Monday through Friday after practice. Some schools were feeding lunch and after practice meal. We fed ours everyday but Wednesday and that was for financial reasons.
Is this just a Southern thing?
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Post by Defcord on May 14, 2023 13:58:25 GMT -6
Once had a HC tell us we were going to meet at 7AM on Saturday after a bad loss. Screamed that he wanted each of our films watched and graded before the 7am meeting and we probably got back at 1am. Myself, the RB coach and the DC all stayed in our offices until about 3am watching and grading and then turned around and got back to school at 6:45am or so for the meeting...HC cancelled it via text around 7:15 I would’ve showed up to his house and kicked his dog.
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Post by Defcord on May 13, 2023 8:51:40 GMT -6
There’s a bunch of different things you can do but really it’s all about getting them out of their comfort zone and in proximity of the other groups.
Put them in situations where they have to interact, compete, collaborate with those that they wouldn’t on their own.
Human nature is to lean into familiarity and protect against outsiders (perceived or not).
Find a way where a junior and senior partner up and have something to accomplish together. Don’t even tell them the purpose is to bond. Just get them in a situation where to accomplish a goal they need each other.
2 v 2 basketball tournament 2 v 2 tug of war 2 vs 2 football drills…stuff like this
Or
2 man teams in fundraising
Group them as lifting partners or bus buddies and whatever…I’m less inclined to do this type of stuff but would consider it
People that don’t get along usually have gap in communication or understanding of each other and connectivity is a major key ih bridging that gap
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Post by Defcord on May 11, 2023 4:52:31 GMT -6
My son is on the golf team. It’s my favorite high school sport to watch. It’s so laid back. You just follow the group around the course on a golf cart or walking. You hardly ever see a coach, in three years haven’t seen any obnoxious fans, there’s a little cheating cause kids keep each other’s scores but even that is entertaining to a certain degree. It’s the absolute opposite energy than being on a head set on Friday.
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Post by Defcord on May 10, 2023 18:29:55 GMT -6
I am the HC and OC. We DO NOT meet as a staff on the weekend. I do the stats from Friday on Saturday morning, and that's the only thing I do on Saturday. On Sunday, I spend most of the day reviewing the previous game and planning for the next. I do take a lunch break and my sons and I go to Moe's. Everyone works independently from home. Each coach is required to submit a report on their position to the DC or myself by Sunday afternoon. The OL coach and I talk on Sunday afternoon. All game plan info is distributed via google drive. The defensive coaches talk throughout the day, as needed. The DC and I talk on Sunday evening. Been doing it this way for 10 years. We've won over 70% of our games, and I've only had one coach leave my staff, and that was because he took an admin job. This is really refreshing to hear. I’m leaving a school that’s on Coach Durham’s schedule. They play quality football and play it the right way. I always wonder if you can do it right without meeting so it’s good to know you can. We lost 7 games last year and 6 were by 8 points or less. Coach’s team was that other one.
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Post by Defcord on May 3, 2023 17:42:22 GMT -6
Congrats Coach!
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Post by Defcord on May 1, 2023 19:33:25 GMT -6
I’ve got a copy of that one. Glad I didn’t pay what it’s going for on eBay. I might need to sell some books.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 26, 2023 8:26:22 GMT -6
They will be horrible and lucky to win 2 games this season. They have zero depth and barely any talent on the roster. It will take years to get it going in a winning record direction. I would take the over on 2 wins, but I wouldn't feel great about it. I think he is doing things the right way and the stuff he is putting out on social media is great. But he will be challenged as a leader in a way that he wasn't at Jackson State. I am rooting for him because of what I have seen so far, but the biggest issue is that he has to play up to moving targets and has a tough schedule minus the Colorado State game.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 25, 2023 5:24:52 GMT -6
I'm kinda the same, but I'd driven an hour to get there, so, I figured I'd amuse myself. That would make me want to leave more because they wasted an hour of my time. I love working with kids but even the smart ones are dumba$$es. Having kids on a hiring panel just shows how out of touch those admin are Well the dumbasss kids got that DNA from somewhere...they just get more experienced in stupidity with time.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 21, 2023 8:47:57 GMT -6
I suppose this is somewhat relevant and I don't stick to it with any intention, but I heard a guy at a PD a few years back say that the goal when teaching something in class should be for them to interact with the information 6 times before assessment. I won't pretend to remember the information he used to support the claim, but it was valid enough to hold my attention.
That thought crosses my mind when I am scripting practices and I do sometimes check to see how many reps we are getting at a skill during drills, especially new skills. I do the same with team periods and opponents' plays. I don't hold it to six but I do try to keep an eye on the number of times a week we are doing certain tasks.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 20, 2023 3:12:23 GMT -6
Teachers are drastically underpaid in some areas, moderately underpaid in other areas, comfortably paid in other areas. Overall I think most would agree that the compensation of teachers is low compared to the service they provide. One of the few benefits teachers get that is excellent is time off and leave. There’s very little that convinces me this should be cut without some other financial compensation. And really I still would prefer the leave because the stress levels in education have increased drastically over the past two decades that I have taught as the scope of responsibilities have increased and general work climate has declined. As a parent and professional I am glad teachers are loaded with leave and wish more teachers would take more of it in many cases to refurbish their mental and physical health. The high number of sick days provide an opportunity for this. I am talking about just taking a day to sleep or shop or play golf or read a book or go on a cruise. I want my son to be taught by teachers that look forward to going to work, not ones that dread it. I would argue he is getting a better educational experience with a motivated teacher for 160-165 days and the remaining 15-20 with a sub than a stressed out teacher whose there 177 days and the remaining three days with a sub. I wish all professions valued their employees and gave them more time off. I would certainly hope that an employer would respect an employee’s family situation and work in a way to allow them to take vacations with their families even in awkward scheduling frames. So I have no problem at all with the flipped script. I genuinely believe when you can find a way in any organization to create an environment where people want to go to work then it is a good situation. And by protecting time off that goal can be better accomplished. My brother sells cars and makes a ton of money and hates his job. It’s impossible for him not to bring it home with him. He was offered a managers position and a huge raise and he told them it would be a promotion to take a pay cut but get more time off. That’s anecdotal but I imagine a lot of people feel the same. In my perfect world there would be a set number of protected and paid days off that teachers would get. (I don’t know the appropriate number). And they would be able to use them without any explanation. That would eliminate the ambiguity. After those days any time off would be unpaid if approved and after that any time off would be punishable by whatever system is agreed upon in contract. As I mentioned, I am an educator as well. And while underpaid is pretty accurate, again remember that is a relative term given people quote an annual salary (which represents approximately 260 days) but most of us are only working (or required to be at a location to work more accurately) working around 180 days. I often here "oh, but teachers do so much out of school". Yes true, but as you pointed out in your anecdote, so do many if not most others. I disagree with the notion that high number of sick days are for taking a day to "sleep in" or shop or play golf etc. The high number of sick days are granted because educators work with children in a high contagious environment. Now we probably don't disagree much- In the post you originally responded to, I believe I mentioned that the district I was referring to accrues 10 sick days a year- 3 of which may be "personal" (basically use for any reason). My complaint was about teachers who lie and use "sick days" to miss when they are not truly sick. I get into arguments with colleagues who state "but those are our days". Their mindset is "We work 181 days, but I am entitled to miss 10 of those". I think in a perfect world, there would be NO amount of sick days. People would go to work when well, and stay home when sick (and be paid). If a teacher seems to miss to much, well then that is a grounds for dismissal. But I know that is not a realistic scenario in Other professions do ask employees to work more quite often. Teaching is somewhat unique in that when we are asked to do more there is not an additional associated incentive. Sick days may certainly be given because the contagious nature of the work environment. I don’t think they were given to be used for mental health recharges, but I do think they should be allowed and encouraged to be used that way. I do agree with you that teachers shouldn’t lie about why they are missing. But again I don’t think teachers should be asked why they are missing. They should have a certain number days they are allowed to miss and as long as they respect protocol to request time off then they should get it. Your perfect would is much more utopian than mine. I also think that would be a great way to approach health and leave in all industries. I also agree it’s very unlikely to work unfortunately.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 19, 2023 19:35:50 GMT -6
What if their spouse can only get off for the cruise during the school year? Just because teachers get a lot of time off doesn’t mean the people in their life’s are on the same schedule. Take unpaid leave. Flip the script, --the teacher can only get off for the cruise during non school calendar periods. Do you envision those other's employers saying "oh well..then more days off for you!!!" Teachers are drastically underpaid in some areas, moderately underpaid in other areas, comfortably paid in other areas. Overall I think most would agree that the compensation of teachers is low compared to the service they provide. One of the few benefits teachers get that is excellent is time off and leave. There’s very little that convinces me this should be cut without some other financial compensation. And really I still would prefer the leave because the stress levels in education have increased drastically over the past two decades that I have taught as the scope of responsibilities have increased and general work climate has declined. As a parent and professional I am glad teachers are loaded with leave and wish more teachers would take more of it in many cases to refurbish their mental and physical health. The high number of sick days provide an opportunity for this. I am talking about just taking a day to sleep or shop or play golf or read a book or go on a cruise. I want my son to be taught by teachers that look forward to going to work, not ones that dread it. I would argue he is getting a better educational experience with a motivated teacher for 160-165 days and the remaining 15-20 with a sub than a stressed out teacher whose there 177 days and the remaining three days with a sub. I wish all professions valued their employees and gave them more time off. I would certainly hope that an employer would respect an employee’s family situation and work in a way to allow them to take vacations with their families even in awkward scheduling frames. So I have no problem at all with the flipped script. I genuinely believe when you can find a way in any organization to create an environment where people want to go to work then it is a good situation. And by protecting time off that goal can be better accomplished. My brother sells cars and makes a ton of money and hates his job. It’s impossible for him not to bring it home with him. He was offered a managers position and a huge raise and he told them it would be a promotion to take a pay cut but get more time off. That’s anecdotal but I imagine a lot of people feel the same. In my perfect world there would be a set number of protected and paid days off that teachers would get. (I don’t know the appropriate number). And they would be able to use them without any explanation. That would eliminate the ambiguity. After those days any time off would be unpaid if approved and after that any time off would be punishable by whatever system is agreed upon in contract.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 19, 2023 15:45:00 GMT -6
A strong, reasonable local union will do wonders for a teaching staff. Otherwise, they can be pretty detrimental. Honestly, negotiating contracts should be simple because you know what a district can afford. Everyone has access to every aspect of the districts finances and there's no reason why a district can't negotiate a simple COLA raise every single year.
But, again, this is assuming the union is strong and reasonable. When I negotiated contracts, I had to tell the union "No, I won't go the table for _____" three different times. I was negotiating with truck drivers and ranchers and there's no way in hell I'm going to risk a 4% bump in pay on the base for three extra personal days.
Don't get me started on personal days. Every year I get into an argument with teachings using sick days to do personal things. Probably one of my biggest pet peeves. Our district gives teachers 10 sick days a year (that can roll over)- 3 of which can be personal (those don't roll over) You work 181 days. It is ridiculous to think you should get paid 5 days to go to Disney or on a Cruise. I think one of the weaknesses/issues of teacher's unions are that they are really school district employee unions- which further adds to the vast differences between different jobs in the educational system. Tough to collectively bargain things when it is clear that a HS Art Teacher is different than a Band Director which is different than a frosh Civics teacher, which is different than a HS math teacher with 4 different preps, which is different than a Jr. High foreign language teacher, which is different than a 2nd grade teacher, which is different than an elementary PE teacher which is different than a literacy interventionist, which is different than an elementary behavioral class teacher which is different than a HS librarian, which is different than an elementary librarian, which is different than an instructional coach, which is different than a SPED resource teacher who team teaches, which is different than a SPED resource teacher who pulls students...all of which are different than non certificated personnel such as custodians, maintenance, IT, Human Resources, bus drivers, etc. I think an issue moving forward with unions as the teaching shortage grows is that the number of younger teachers will be increasing-and older teachers decreasing. The wants of the younger generation are different than the old hats. That is actually how the business world was able to drop pensions and push the 401(k) narrative. What if their spouse can only get off for the cruise during the school year? Just because teachers get a lot of time off doesn’t mean the people in their life’s are on the same schedule.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 17, 2023 10:04:06 GMT -6
There's really not much you can do. As long as the kids are listening to you, then you are winning the battle. If the kids stop listening to you, then I wouldn't enter them in the following meet. Parents don't get to pick when you run power in football, they don't get to pick when you bunt in baseball. If they want their kids to compete for your school, they don't have to like what you are doing, but they do have to respect that you have the final say as a leader of the team.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 8, 2023 19:22:18 GMT -6
Imagine being a Christian school and trying to sell Rush Propst to your parents and donors as your AD and co HC. Christians like to win as much as us heathens do.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 5, 2023 16:13:18 GMT -6
Hello everybody! I'm new to coaching. Played in high school and decided I'd start back in the system. I was wondering, what are the biggest struggles that you face as a coach? Is there a part of coaching that is "the most annoying" or most frustrating? I'm just interested to see the path I have ahead of me, so I can prepare a bit better. I'm in the dark right now. Welcome to the brotherhood. Many enter, few remain, fewer become good. The biggest struggle will vary widely depending on your experience, aptitude, and passion for the game. And also your circumstances you fall into/work into. As some have said, it is a poorly paid part (full time some places) job. I would suggest these as a noob with a whistle - knowing what your role will be, and understanding how to do it - knowing what stone to sharpen your axe with* - find a way to add value to the program (many older coaches struggle with this as well) - knowing when to listen and when to speak up - how to not be the players' friend - realizing how much work is need to be done that is NOT on the field/game So far as the most annoying/frustrating, it really depends on your personality and what social/work situations you are comfortable/not with. Most good coaches have the ability to relate interact with varying personalities, but also set boundaries. You also have know how to and when to say 'NO". Whether is be with other coaches, players, parents, or fans. Again, think hard about what annoys you NOW, and it will amplified when you have the stress of winning/losing, lack of free time, demands pulling you in fifty-eleven different directions, girlfriend beeching about you not ever having time for her, etc.... Overall, one of the hardest things I have seen in 30+ years with coaches of all ages, experiences, success, luck, etc.... is consistently being professional. Hades, I KNOW I've not always lived up to that standard. Find a mentor and suck up as much knowledge, experiences, and moxie as you can. Than when you've graduated, become a mentor to a young noob somewhere down the road. Another thing that I would HIGHLY recommend, is spending the first 100 hours of your login time on CoachHuey.com digging through old threads that were started with a similar heading, or by someone in your same shoes. FYI, the general board of this website goes back to about 2005..... so maybe 200 hours of login time. There's more that have been posted on here and have been forgotten about that I could type for the next 40 hours.... Also another thing I would suggest is to book mark any and all threads that interest you. *quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln but is mostly anonymous "If I have 3 hours to chop down a tree, I will spend 2 hours sharpening my axe" Along with the Huey lesson here, I suggest throw your ideas out there on here. You will get great feedback to what you are doing well and where you are full of shitt. And that second part has really helped me become a better coach.
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Post by Defcord on Apr 5, 2023 10:35:50 GMT -6
Hello everybody! I'm new to coaching. Played in high school and decided I'd start back in the system. I was wondering, what are the biggest struggles that you face as a coach? Is there a part of coaching that is "the most annoying" or most frustrating? I'm just interested to see the path I have ahead of me, so I can prepare a bit better. I'm in the dark right now. Increasing their football knowledge. Teaching them the "WHY" we do things this way. Teaching them "HOW" to do something is one thing...getting them to understand "why" is another. You and your staff may understand Sabanese...but a 16 yo doesn't. IMO it's the difference between knowing how to play your O and D...and how to win the game. Hell, I don't understand Sabanese either. I am only slightly fluent in Pattersonese. But maybe that's why I can effectively coach my kids to play sound defense. Some of the terminology stuff reminds me of the quote "making the simple complicated is commonplace. Making the complicated simple is creativity (coaching in our profession's case)."
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Post by Defcord on Mar 29, 2023 6:36:22 GMT -6
We could as a society move towards club sport full time and many kids would still benefit. People would still show up to events and root on their children. Would communities follow? I am not sure they would to the extent they do now in some areas. Whenever there's a change, you'll lose some support for some period of time. It'd be the same if club sports were replaced by interscholastic ones in a given community. People used to one thing won't all transfer loyalty to something else. Interscholastic sports became a thing in the USA by a funny sequence of influences, but history is never straightforward. Basically they -- and most specifically football -- arose as an extension of intramural sports. It started with the colleges, whose crazy students wanted to play different and often more violent forms of football intramurally than the general population in the vicinity did. After some other sports began to be contested intercollegiately, football spread to be played intercollegiately too, and quickly drew audiences because it was different football from what children and adults usually played. But the reason secondary and even primary schools got into the act was partly in imitation of the colleges and partly because of the influence of the British novel Tom Brown's School Days, in which descriptions were given of intramural sports at a private boarding school. This got adapted to the very different environment of American public schools. It didn't really make sense, because since the children didn't live there and the schools usually weren't that big, there was really no reason to organize kids' games there. But then, look how popular Rowling's fantasy novels and movies about a boarding school for wizards and their attendant games are now! Anyway, American educators were looking for things to imitate pedagogically, and sports got caught up as part of that. Anyway, to make competitions feasible, teams were organized to represent whole day schools rather than houses of a large boarding school. Probably had it not been for football, interscholastic sports wouldn't be much of a thing. Kids organized baseball on their own, and when you think youth baseball you tend to think of Little League even today. Basketball was the YMCA. Swimming, wrestling, boxing, tennis...all sports that didn't owe much to schools. Schools moved in on these activities relatively late. But they glommed onto football right from the start. I understand your point. I just don't fully agree with it. Parents are always going to support their children and I think that would be the same regardless of athletic model. I think the people you would lose are the members of the community who support programs and go to games because of their past links to the school. I guess only time would tell.
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Post by Defcord on Mar 28, 2023 19:04:18 GMT -6
Try Poshmark. I just did a quick search and saw some size 16 and size 17. I didn’t look long so they may have more and bigger.
Some will be used and some new but if you are in a pinch might help you out.
It’s a legit site and I’ve ordered a pair of shoes off there. I think it’s like a style site mostly. But I love the Nike Roshe first edition and you can’t get them retail anywhere and a ransom search lead me to Poshmark.
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Post by Defcord on Mar 28, 2023 5:40:19 GMT -6
First how could anyone on this board be impartial about the topic? Regardless of where we fall on the subject, we are all closely connected and affected it by it. It's like putting my wife and another attractive woman together and bringing me in and asking me which one is better looking and to remain impartial.
When it comes to interscholastic vs club activities, there is certainly positives to both situations. We could as a society move towards club sport full time and many kids would still benefit. People would still show up to events and root on their children. Would communities follow? I am not sure they would to the extent they do now in some areas.
My biggest issue is that children are becoming more and more jaded by the educational process, less motivated to show up to school everyday. Covid made this worse in the schools that my wife and I teach at.
If we were to eliminate interscholastic sports how many marginal kids would we lose because we took away their primary motivation to come to school. More importantly, how many good adults would we lose because it is a major or their primary motivation to work in schools?
Sports drive and motivate people. Division III athletics specifically use sports as a way to boost enrollment. They know the kids aren't coming unless they are coming to play sports.
Would allowing only club sports be the death of schools or sports? NO Would it have a greater negative impact than good for the education of our children? I believe so
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Post by Defcord on Mar 27, 2023 9:56:44 GMT -6
About 15 years ago, I thought about getting certified in SpEd to make myself more marketable. Fortunately, I never did it. If I did, I would have been put in a SpEd classroom and would have never been allowed to leave. I have an English/Language Arts certificate and am endorsed in Special Education. Due to this, the school has me teach some reading classes for lower achieving students and I have a small SPED roster of 5-7 students depending on the year. A few years ago, I was going to apply as an in-house candidate for a fulltime ELA opening in our district. Before I even applied the principal came and, in a professional way, told me to not bother. I asked him why and he said, "Because then we would have to find someone with the dual certification to replace you..." That’s frustrating. In that situation you should get an automatic pay incentive to show their appreciation. I had a buddy in a similar situation and he told the principal, he was going to have to replace him one way or the other so they gave him dept chair or debate club or something to give him a little more money.
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Post by Defcord on Mar 26, 2023 18:39:04 GMT -6
When I first started teaching, I could count my SpEd students on one hand. And they were SpEd for something like dyslexia, which is a real thing. Now, I have dozens of kids with IEPs and 504 plans. And, by a large margin, they are mostly for behavior issues. Parents really push hard to get an IEP or 504 for their kid. I don't get it. I don't understand why a parent would want their kid labeled. When my youngest was in grade school, a teacher thought he was ADHD. Told my wife and I that he needed to be medicated and wanted him evaluated for SpEd. We said no. Our argument was that he needs to figure it out. We told her that if he was being a dope in the classroom and wasn't doing his work, she should contact us and we would handle it on our end. And you know what? He figured it out. He had an Associate's in Engineering before he graduated high school and is now about halfway through the US Navy nuke program down in South Carolina. I have to wonder if things would have been different if we had crippled him with an IEP. For a lot of parents, it's like some weird contest to have the most messed up kid. It used to be that the kids who were celebrated were the ones who had some special skill or ability. They were really smart. They were great at sports. They were good artists or musicians. But they had something special about them that they worked at and they excelled. Now, it seems that if you have a kid who is just average, that's not good enough for parents. They have to come up with something to make the kid "exceptional" even if it is something bad. We have kids in our school with ridiculous accommodations. They can take breaks whenever they want. They can leave class and go down to the gym to shoot hoops. They have an aid who writes for them. They get candy or prizes at the end of the day if they actually manage to trip over the hilariously low bar for their daily behavior goal. They are exempt from doing work or having consequences for misbehavior. Eligibility usually gets waived if they are out for sports. Those kids and their parents run the school and they know it. I used to take solace in the fact that the real world is going to come for those kids fast. And they are going to end up in some dead-end job or living with Mom and Dad because they can't function in the real world without all the propping up to which they have become accustomed. But, even that might be ending. And when these kids can't function in the adult world, it might end up being our fault anyway (LINK). Since I have moved the dark side and became an AP I can say SpEd has become an out of control monster that no one has any clue what to do with. My district is way stricter on discipline of SpEd students around even though we have the most, shall we say at risk population in our county. We had a huge problem with kid wandering the halls last year, which is a whole other post about policy and discipline etc that I'm not going into, we would try and clear them out or move them along and kids would say "I got an IEP what are you gonna do!" and sadly they were right. We joke that when being an a**hole becomes a "disability" it's over for education. And we are closer than people think... If being an assshole becomes a disability than our IEPs will double immediately from the adults that will have to get them.
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Post by Defcord on Mar 26, 2023 8:45:02 GMT -6
I think we are on the verge of special education laws being appeased by having all teachers take some mandatory training sessions to be certified in special education services instead of trying to train and incentivize hiring to get enough qualified candidates. Everyone will be worse off but it will look good on paper to lawmakers. It’s purely speculation but I just don’t see any other way for the compliance of laws for delivery accommodations will be met. d@mn you. Delete this now before someone else reads it and thinks it is a good idea. Because that seems EXACTLY like what BOEs and state dept of educations would think is a good idea. Currently our state did something similar specifically focused on dyslexia. The university a buddy of mine went to made all education majors go co curricular and get certified in a content area and special education. They claimed it was to make them more whole in their pedagogical practices but really it was when it was hard to get a teaching job in some areas and certifications so they could report that their education majors were being hired at a higher rate. The only problem was that they were getting hired in jobs they didn’t want. Great way to set up your alumni… Once I had heard this, I figured at some point we are all going to be “certified” sped teachers.
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Post by Defcord on Mar 26, 2023 2:35:17 GMT -6
Eh, it does depend on the position. PE or social studies jobs can still be filled. Maybe the number and quality of applicants is down, but I can guarantee that principals would much rather have to find a PE or social studies teacher than SpEd, math, foreign language, or industrial arts. Our district was so hard up to keep one of our SpEd teachers from leaving that they worked out a new position for her in which she gets to work from home after lunch. That’s not going to happen with PE or social studies. My wife's school was so desperate for SpEd, they paid for her to get certified and gave her the job before she even enrolled in classes. She was the only applicant. I think we are on the verge of special education laws being appeased by having all teachers take some mandatory training sessions to be certified in special education services instead of trying to train and incentivize hiring to get enough qualified candidates. Everyone will be worse off but it will look good on paper to lawmakers. It’s purely speculation but I just don’t see any other way for the compliance of laws for delivery accommodations will be met.
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