Coaches work harder than you

I've noticed that MTC doesn't think very highly of coaches. There are always jokes about how stupid they are and how they don't do any work. Well here are some things to think about.

*Coaches are still at the school with students when most of you are at home or at work getting something done. Then we still have to do the same things that you are finished with.

*Coaches have to deal with emotions of students that you never see. They come to us with all their problems. We see them cry after a loss or over a season ending injury. We get the late night cell phone calls and make the early morning house calls.

*Coaches have to make sure that all their players are doing the work in all their class and are passing. You just give grades.

*Coaches use more gas taking students home than you spend going to work every day.

*Coaches not only know their subject area, but also know rules, regulations, laws, plays, policies, procedures and information that you have no clue about. And most coaches know this about more that one sport.

*Coaches are the ones who get up on Sat morning and drive several hours to take a player on a college visit because their parents could care less whether they get in or not.

*Coaches can diagnose most minor injuries within one minute and can tell you what to do about it.

*Coaches are the only ones whose results are scrutinized on the news and in the newspaper at least once a week.

*Coaches are the ones that you send your students too when they won't do right for you. And they come back doing right.

*Coaches are the ones that students never forget. We are the people who make the real difference in lives. We motivate students to always be their best. We teach them to be better students and better people. We force them to deal with the hands that life deals them and to make the best of those challenges. (Have you ever had a bad ref, you know what I mean.)

*Coaches deal with scheduling, budgets, transportation, food, inventory, etc and keep track of it all from year to year.

You make fun and joke the profession that I love so much and that's okay because you don't know any better. But remember if you ask 8 out of 10 adults who had the most effect on them, they will probably say a teacher. Dig a little deeper and they will say a coach.

Get over yourself. Coaches work harder than you.

Motivation

I have found that motivating students differs greatly from student to student. It is important to talk with each student on a personal level to find out what is important to them. Once you know what is important to them then you can use that as your motivating tool.
For athletes, it is almost always sports related. They can't play if they don't keep up their grades. But know that they know, they only need a 75 average so you have to also talk to them about playing in college and what type of grades they will need to get in.
Once you have met your students parents, you can sometimes use them as a motivator. You will know just from talking to them who these parents are.
For some students, the candy and stickers will work. I also always do a contest around State Fair time (tickets), State Basketball Championships (tickets) and any concert that comes to town. I give away movie passes (if you know someone at a radio station then you can get these free) after every district test. These things appeal to any student.
Motivating students is not an easy thing to do. The important thing is to know your students. There is no fix all. Each case requires a different approach. Once you know your students then you can motivate each one personally.