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Post by pirate12 on Feb 15, 2020 22:41:39 GMT -6
Anyone coaching inner city football on this board? I'm considering taking a HFC position at a moderately successful inner city school.There are some very strong positives but I have real concerns on how to live with lack of parent involvement and lack of attendance at games. Does anyone have any experience in his type of setting? If so any advice on those particular issues? Thanks.
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Post by wingtol on Feb 16, 2020 18:04:59 GMT -6
Have you worked or coached in the inner-city before is the fist thing I have to ask?
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Post by kylem56 on Feb 16, 2020 18:38:37 GMT -6
Havent coached in the environment but taught in an inner city school, for kids who were thrown out of their resident public school and after 4 years I was burned out because for every 1 victory you felt GREAT about (helping a kid turn their life around, any little victory), there was 5 more that you wish you could do more to help.
Some pros:
tough kids- resilient
probably not much expectations / good job security
pay for coaches/teachers at inner city schools around me are higher than the suburbs
if you can get these kids to trust you and buy into you, they'll run through a wall for you
cons:
statistically speaking, expect alot of single parent homes, again this is off statistics, every situation is different
you have to understand that most of them are probably battling alot bigger things in their home lives than any game
parent support iffy , some will view you as a babysitter
How is the school? Is there administrative support? Is there grants/$ available to help you with food? Is there an alumni base? Is there any history of success there?
Personally IMO, and this is just based on where I live, I think you have to be in the building to really be successful. Just my 2 cents....it can be rewarding but like any job it will have its own set of unique challenges
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Post by fantom on Feb 16, 2020 18:41:59 GMT -6
Anyone coaching inner city football on this board? I'm considering taking a HFC position at a moderately successful inner city school.There are some very strong positives but I have real concerns on how to live with lack of parent involvement and lack of attendance at games. Does anyone have any experience in his type of setting? If so any advice on those particular issues? Thanks. How big is the city? |
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Post by Coach Vint on Feb 17, 2020 9:38:36 GMT -6
Most of my career has been at inner city schools. The impact you can have is huge. There are also tremendous hurdles you have to climb. The administration is a huge key to your success and sanity. The more supportive the administration the better the experience will be.
You have to be a great relationship builder and have coaches who build great relationships. That is the key to reaching the kids. They want someone to believe in them, set high standards, and hold them accountable.
Parent involvement is a battle and takes time. We have seen it increase each year, but it is always hard work. Fundraising is tough, but we have gotten some businesses to help support our program as we have had success.
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Post by macdiiddy on Feb 17, 2020 9:58:08 GMT -6
While I do not coach at an inner city school. I am not a teacher and work in the social work field. You are going to have to be okay with failing to reach some kids. Understand that you have a few hours a day to try and retract 14 years of learned and reinforced behavior.
Additionally , understand that football may not be on the Hierarchy of what’s important to them. If a kid is coming from a home with a lot of trauma or unmet needs such as no food at home or continual violence in the neighborhood. They are going to care more about trying to figure out if they and their brothers and sisters will have food at home. Or if they will be safe to sleep at home that night rather than how to block your gap scheme
Lastly, something I’ve seen a lot of youth who have Come from broken homes or experienced a lot of loss is the feeling of “I don’t care”. I don’t care becomes a strong coping mechanism so when something doesn’t go their way they “never cared” about football or their belongings or Going to I jail. If you do not care about anything then it doesn’t matter when it inevitably lets you down or gets taken away.
With all that being said, the reason I stay in the social work field is for that one out of five kids. You can make the biggest difference just by giving them a consistent, dependable person in their life. Even the four others you think you don’t reach , you can be surprised at the impact you’ve make in their life.
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Post by MICoach on Feb 17, 2020 12:07:59 GMT -6
I've taught in very rough inner city schools, currently coach/teach at I guess an "outer city" school. Our city isn't huge and we're on the fringe of the city public district. We get a lot of kids from the city district coming out to our school. The demographic of our football and basketball teams is far more reflective of the city than our student body.
The lack of attendance is just a bummer. We don't have the problem but our two city high schools have almost no one show up for their games. I don't really have any advice on that, just affirming that it is an issue - hopefully someone else has an idea on that.
Our parent involvement is very spotty. We might get a couple parents who are willing to do a lot of work but the majority are removed from the program and we're lucky if they show up to games. Definitely lean on those that are willing to help, but we also have a fair amount of coaching staff and school involvement to compensate. We have done alright with fundraising to get team shorts/shirts and provide lunches during camp and after school meals on game days. It's not unheard of for coaches to wash a kid's practice gear, pick up/drop off, etc.
Similar to at-risk teaching, you need to have a cohesive approach as a staff (I hate the term "trauma-informed" but that's really what it is) and communicate.
With that said, you sometimes have to decide to cut bait with a kid. If they're a cancer and dragging down the rest of your team you can't always divert all of your resources to helping the one kid. Fighting/stealing/etc can drag the whole program down.
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Post by spartan on Feb 17, 2020 13:26:40 GMT -6
Recruit the hallways, set incredibly high discipline standards. They will meet it. Don't be afraid to {censored} can a kid
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Post by pirate12 on Feb 20, 2020 11:01:16 GMT -6
Thanks for all the responses fellas. Very helpful. I have coached inner city before with some success but all the struggles mentioned I live with.
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CoachDP
Sophomore Member
Posts: 240
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Post by CoachDP on Feb 20, 2020 12:32:15 GMT -6
Anyone coaching inner city football on this board? I'm considering taking a HFC position at a moderately successful inner city school.There are some very strong positives but I have real concerns on how to live with lack of parent involvement and lack of attendance at games. Does anyone have any experience in his type of setting? If so any advice on those particular issues? Thanks. We had a pre-season parents meeting that gave them a list of things they could expect from us (the coaching staff) in terms of support for their children (in terms of academic, athletic and social development). We also spent a lot of time with the kids. We called every parent once a week (Sunday nights) to re-connect and discuss all issues regarding their son. We also spent a lot of time with the kids. After our banquet, we met with each player and their parent(s) or guardian to discuss their academics, the off-season plan and post-high school goals. We also spent a lot of time with the kids. We planned out of season get-togethers (bowling, paint ball, zip line, camps, etc.) We also spent a lot of time with the kids. We invited parents to attend our practices. We also spent a lot of time with the kids. We met with teachers of players who struggled academically, socially or developmentally (in other ways) while including the player and the parent/guardian. We also spent a lot of time with the kids. When kids (AND parents) don't know you, don't trust you or don't have any reason to want to be part of what you're building, give them a reason to want to be there, to be included, to be focused on. Does it take more time? How important is it to you? --Dave |
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Post by godandgus on Feb 20, 2020 20:27:14 GMT -6
I was going to post something as 10 of my years was at these types of schools, but everyone of these threads was right. W
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Post by somecoach on Feb 29, 2020 22:48:18 GMT -6
While I do not coach at an inner city school. I am not a teacher and work in the social work field. You are going to have to be okay with failing to reach some kids. Understand that you have a few hours a day to try and retract 14 years of learned and reinforced behavior.Additionally , understand that football may not be on the Hierarchy of what’s important to them. If a kid is coming from a home with a lot of trauma or unmet needs such as no food at home or continual violence in the neighborhood. They are going to care more about trying to figure out if they and their brothers and sisters will have food at home. Or if they will be safe to sleep at home that night rather than how to block your gap scheme Lastly, something I’ve seen a lot of youth who have Come from broken homes or experienced a lot of loss is the feeling of “I don’t care”. I don’t care becomes a strong coping mechanism so when something doesn’t go their way they “never cared” about football or their belongings or Going to I jail. If you do not care about anything then it doesn’t matter when it inevitably lets you down or gets taken away. With all that being said, the reason I stay in the social work field is for that one out of five kids. You can make the biggest difference just by giving them a consistent, dependable person in their life. Even the four others you think you don’t reach , you can be surprised at the impact you’ve make in their life. Well said coach. |
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