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Post by tothehouse on Feb 5, 2007 14:11:54 GMT -6
If you are a teacher and a football coach....do you find yourself caring more about preparing for football then your class? I am talking offseason as well. What about other students thinking you treat football players differently (especially if they are in your classes) Here is my example of why sometimes I care about football more then my classes. I had a student write a letter to our principal accusing me of showing football players favortism. That is total bullcrap except for one thing. I DO SHOW PLAYERS FAVORTISM!! What I mean is this. I have gone through the battles with the players. Trials and tribulations. Blood, sweat, and tears. HAVE I DONE THAT WITH ANY OF MY REGULAR STUDENTS? No. The point is...I have built a very strong relationship with our players and some of the students can't understand that so they call it favortism. I can look our players in the eye and tell them that I love them. Can't do that to any of my classroom students. When it comes to grades and performance in the class...everyone is equal. We had a scholarship DB in 05 that was a 3.8 student. The only class he got a B+ in? ![???](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/huh.png) Mine. And this kid and I are close. We talk a couple times a week still. The other fact is this....I am not sure if I would still be teaching if it weren't for the football program. I guess it is my day to be honest.
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Post by fbdoc on Feb 5, 2007 14:34:56 GMT -6
The reality of most high school gigs is that you get paid 95% of your salary for teaching and 5% for coaching, while many of us spend 95% of our time preparing for coaching... That may be an exaggeration but you get the idea.
A wise man (John Wooden) once said,"Don't treat your players (students) the same, treat them the way they deserve to be treated."
I would tell my students that "I play favorites..." My favorites are those who get to class on time, they are prepared for class (books, notes, etc), and they participate in class in a positive way. They are my favorites. Anyone can accuse you of treating your athletes differently --- but can you justify it?
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Post by dacoachmo on Feb 5, 2007 14:49:14 GMT -6
If anything tell the students...yeah I play favorites...my players...but I am TWICE as hard on them.
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Post by tothehouse on Feb 5, 2007 15:24:03 GMT -6
Yes, I used both of those on all my classes. They also got a tongue lashing for going to the principal before talking directly with me.
It is also the type of kid. You can push and push football players and get a lot out of them. Some of the regular popular shuts down when you give them a hard task.
I enjoy the challenge of making both regular students and the football players better. It just seems like the football players respond a lot better than the kid who doesn't want to be at school. That is why I spend more time on that aspect of my "teacher". More reward for me there.
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coachf
Freshmen Member
Posts: 15
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Post by coachf on Feb 5, 2007 17:33:43 GMT -6
Last year, I spent more time on teaching so that I could release myself to more football this year. I know that my ultimate future lies within teaching. I love the coaching and if I could make that priority 1, I would. But, until I reach tenure and some security at a place I have to continue to bust my butt on both sides. Don't get me wrong, I won't quit teaching just because I am tenured, but I do believe I will stop staying up till midnight just to get the "perfect lessons" for evaluations.
This year, I have spent 3-4x as much time with football, that is mostly due to the amount of time I spent on getting my lessons ready for school.
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Post by tothehouse on Feb 5, 2007 18:43:16 GMT -6
F - good points. Yet another topic to bring up.
Teaching is the profession of mediocrity. Once you have become tenured it seems as if you don't have to push to be great. When you do your "boss" (ie. Principal) doesn't come in and give you a pat on the back. People can watch a movie each day, roll out the balls, and hand out dittos to their hearts content and get away with it. While I try to create engaging activities in the classroom, I seem to reap more rewards on the field.
Though some people look at teaching and coaching as different because of pay....I don't. I see it as an extention of the classroom. If anyone at the school, or outside of the school, knocks what I am doing I just laugh. I laugh because since 1990 our football program has sent over 100 players to the next level (from JC to D1). Football is a classroom.
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Post by coachdawhip on Feb 5, 2007 18:46:52 GMT -6
I love doing both. I am hard on my players, do I show them some favoritism yes but I am also harder on them as well. Do I think about football when working yes. However, I also believe that I am able to deliver my content to my students just as good as I coach. While, I did become a teacher to coach, I believe I would be one anywayz without football.
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coachf
Freshmen Member
Posts: 15
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Post by coachf on Feb 5, 2007 22:52:41 GMT -6
I have realized something else...these kids are going to play for me in the future (I teach 7th grade). If I didn't bust my butt teaching them, they aren't going to expect me to do it when I coach them.
Many have probably said it before, but the more I teach and prepare for teaching. The more I become prepared for coaching. I have made an attempt to improve my knowledge of everything that I teach this year. Amazingly, I have made an attempt to improve my knowledge of football, as well.
When you want to be your best, you have to be your best at everything. Your faith, your family, your job, etc. Everything we do is part of the foundation for our lives. You can't leave any part of your "house" our of sorts, or the foundation will be shaky. And that includes teaching. Most of us don't have the luxury of just "coaching." We were hired to "teach" first and coach second. I believe when we commit ourselves to being the best teacher possible, we can raise our coaching up to that same level and not feel like we are cheating our profession.
And to respond to your first post- I would still teach if I didn't coach, today.....however, I never would have majored in Education, if I knew I wasn't going to coach. I guess I would be stuck teaching, now.
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Post by realdawg on Feb 6, 2007 8:39:16 GMT -6
I like to teach, but I love to coach. I like what someone said earlier about how he forms bonds with his players, and treats them differently. I see that clearly. I care alot more about our kids b/c of the effort they give me and the bond we form. I have 3 kids who will be players for us next year in one class, and I talk to them more about other stuff than most of my other students, but they also sit right in the front and know that I expect the very best out of them each day.
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Post by warriorstrength on Feb 6, 2007 8:53:15 GMT -6
After reading all of this I feel like the luckiest football coach in the world. The only subject I teach is weight training.
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Post by ajreaper on Feb 6, 2007 9:15:08 GMT -6
LOL, we all know many kids who focus more on what others, to include the teacher, do rather then on what they are doing or not doing. I think it's a safe assumption most coaches are more demanding on the players they have in class then the typical student. We may not give a player detention for example, because we'll have him in the weight room or on the field later that day and settle things there- if other students question that present that as an option to them. They'll likely only choose to do so once. We cannot help but to have a different relationship with our players then the general student body- it's human nature. The great majority of coaches however have far to much integrity to give grades or look the other way with inappropriate behavior. Many of us know we get more from our players both behaviorly and academically then the typical classroom teacher does so it works both ways. Many will see a kid who's basically a B/C student earn an A in a coaches class and just assume it's because "coach" went easy on him but it's more likely the player busted his tail for "coach" because he wants to do well for his coach- he knows his coach cares for him and respects him. For those outside of coaching it's impossible for them to understand many of the dynamics of that relationship. LOL, we all know parents often call "coach" when their child is struggling in another class because "coach" can get their childs attention and get things turned around while the classroom teacher may not be able to.
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Post by slydaddy on Feb 6, 2007 10:37:50 GMT -6
I take great pride in doing both teaching and coaching, but unfortunately, where I work, I get lumped in with the coaches that don't do anything. If I make a suggestion to other teachers or decisions are made without my knowledge, I get "well you are a football coach, and we didn't think you care". Well, what a bunch of crap. People are shocked when they come in the classroom and I am actually teaching. I am like "why are you so shocked". I was always told, "whatever you do, do your best." And I guess I was stupid for trying to follow that advice. Oh well, I will just continue to improve in both areas.
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Post by calicoachh on Feb 6, 2007 15:14:46 GMT -6
like everyone, i try to be professional about preparing my lesson plans for class, but in season, the question arises...are three thousand people coming to watch me teach civics class??
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Post by superpower on Feb 6, 2007 15:25:39 GMT -6
My ability and achievements as a teacher have been the key to getting the last two jobs I have landed. In both cases they were hiring a teacher who could be a good coach. I think the best coaches are people who can teach very effectively, so my teaching is definetly carried over into my coaching.
While it is impossible for me not to think about football in the classroom, I have the ability to stay focused and do an outstanding job in the classroom. And I did teach one year when I was not coaching - it was miserable! My wife told me to get back into coaching ASAP!
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Post by coachmoore42 on Feb 7, 2007 23:52:42 GMT -6
If they do what I ask I treat them the way they want to be treated. If they want to goof around, not work, disrupt class, etc. I get on their tails like everything. That goes for every student in my class, FB or not. I may send the FB players on errands more often than the other kids, but I trust them a heck of a lot more.
As far as preparation, the state (GA) sets most of what we're supposed to teach, so usually there's not extensive preparation for my lessons. I teach math and I just go with it the way I always do. Once you've taught it successfully a few times you know how to do it and don't need much new info. Most of the work is in class helping the kid who didn't get it the first time you explained it and coming up with a different way to explain it to them.
I also feel the way that coachdawhip does, even without football I would still be a teacher. I love to see a kid "get it", be it the F.O.I.L. method or the read on the midline. Either one reminds me why I got into this profession.
On the "all coaches are lazy and do nothing" subject, my former HC was in a meeting with a guest speaker who had that opinion of coaches. She was joking around with the room that you can't be like coaches and be lazy, not realizing that the front row was the coach group. He raised his hand and called her out on it when he had heard enough and was commended later by both teachers and the administration.
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Post by knighter on Feb 8, 2007 8:36:52 GMT -6
Yes let us not forget to remind those who say things of that sort that while they enter the building at 7:45 and leave at 3:45 (those are the hours dictated by the administration where I am at) WE are typically in the building long before in the wieght room or the film room or having practice, and we leave long after the "non lazy" teachers do. I am in the building every day by 5:45am, and I leave the building nearly everyday at around 5:30pm (and this is the off season) in season my departure is closer to 6:45 or 7:00pm (on night where we practice, closer to 11:00pm on game nights).
I always tell them I will trade them hours, have not had a taker yet.
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Post by ajreaper on Feb 8, 2007 11:34:45 GMT -6
LOL, that's right on the money! I know the first half dozen cars in the parking lot at the high school I teach at are coaches (and they are often the last half dozen as well). As coaches we also can often be found on weekends doing something football related or with our kids. I know every Saturday morning for the next 2 months I'll be in helping get some of our kids ready for a combine(plus giving up a weekend to travel out of state with them when they attend it in April). In addition I'll be transporting our QB's to two seperate QB camps in March and April- giving up most of 2 other weekends (and I'm not even the QB coach). I'll also give up a weekend and pay for a couple of clinics in the spring (school picks up one a year for all coaches) Last June I traveled to New Jersey to escort two of our young players who qualified for a super 100 underclassmen combine- a trip I mostly paid for (boosters took care of the kids which was great of them). In addition a week of my summer in late July is spent at camp and when we return practice gets started and that's a week or so before any other teaches need to report. And that's on top of being in the weight room 8-10 hours a week all summer and passing league in June. That's all "out of season" stuff- I'd love to have the schedule of the teacher who leaves in May and never sets foot on campus again till August.
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Post by tothehouse on Feb 8, 2007 11:45:44 GMT -6
That is my point fellas. Do you do that extra stuff for your regular classes?
The energy and passion seems to go more towards the football end of things. I don't think that is a bad thing.
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Post by knighter on Feb 8, 2007 12:54:31 GMT -6
What in God's name would I do in the building at 5:45am to plan for a PE class? LOL And why would I stay that late? PE is the gig, NO papers to grade except the occasional test, and lesson plans are a breeze.
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Post by larrymoe on Feb 8, 2007 13:09:34 GMT -6
I've always wished I'd of went into PE instead of social studies. I did go back and get driver's ed added. Have thought about getting PE added to my cert too.
Didn't put alot of time into coaching this year only being a lower assistant, but as a head coach I didn't really have much time to do alot for teaching. Luckily I had been in the same teaching job for 2 years prior and had all my lessons worked out.
My next job should be really good for coaching. Alternative Education job. Kids are really only there half a day, only spend about 2 hours actually in a "classroom". Alot of individual help and guidance stuff. Have talked to people who have coached and held the same teaching job and they loved it both for the teaching and for the coaching. Know a head coach that swears by it. Has refused to go back to a "normal" school because he liked alt ed too much.
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Post by jonnyboy on Feb 9, 2007 7:59:49 GMT -6
teaching and coaching are the same thing...get kids to learn/act/behave/do/repeat/perform in a way that you have demanded/instructed/modeled/emphasized
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Post by ajreaper on Feb 9, 2007 12:04:25 GMT -6
Driver Ed is the only way to go;) Kids absolutely want to be there, you can help them aquire something they want very badly and you often help make their insurance affordable. Plus the extra cash from the behind the wheel is very nice- a part time job you completely schedule and control.
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Post by larrymoe on Feb 9, 2007 13:58:41 GMT -6
reaper- what do they pay per hour where you are? I'm hoping to get on as a summer driver at my new school. They pay 22.50/hour. Have heard of as much as 30.00/hour in the richer Chicago suburbs.
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Post by ajreaper on Feb 9, 2007 14:07:11 GMT -6
LOL, there paying 15.00 an hour here. The nice thing is the kids do not have to pay for it at all so I'm driving year around whenever I want to drive- and they leave me completely alone, I schedule drivers when I like, reschedule if needed etc.
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Post by larrymoe on Feb 9, 2007 14:10:31 GMT -6
That's not bad. Not the greatest pay in the world, but at least you have freedom with your schedule.
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coachf
Freshmen Member
Posts: 15
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Post by coachf on Feb 9, 2007 18:05:58 GMT -6
That is my point fellas. Do you do that extra stuff for your regular classes? The energy and passion seems to go more towards the football end of things. I don't think that is a bad thing. I have spent the last two Sundays going to the school to get lesson plans done after church. So, I would say I do some of that extra stuff for school, but I still do it more often for football.
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