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.
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2 comments:
I think when MTCers speak ill of coaches they are talking about the coaches who don't do all of these things. In my experience there are a few coaches like the ones you write about and a whole lot that don't seem to care at all about the kids.
Also, don't a lot of MTCers coach?
How do you diagnose when someone is bad. Everyone has their talents and no one is perfect. Are you attempting to help that person or are you just bashing them. In my opinion, if you are not trying to help that person, you are no better than them. Oh and by the way MTC does resoundingly bash coaches. "They all teach Social Studies are P.E. and they never do anything." I don't remember there being a distinction that the discussion was about bad coaches. Sure, many MTCers are coaches and sponsors, but how many did it just because they wanted to "make a difference" and how many did it because they love the profession and the sport. Do you go to clinics to get better? Do you spend the off season reading and preparing. Do you eat sleep and shit the sport. No. Almost everytime you see me, I'm wearing team apparel. That's cause I love my team, my players and the sport. How many of you coach year round. Very few if any. Chew on that for a while.
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