What Type Of Coach Are You

So I just received an interesting message from a friend asking me to, in a short phrase (sentence or two), explain the type of coach that I am.  While I know exactly who I am as a coach, at least at this point in my career, being able to express it in a sentence or two was very difficult.  Here is what I cam up with:

ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM are the two things I try to bring every day to the court – I get guys going and get them to see how fun the game is and how lucky we are to be a part of it.  I’m also a TEACHER – I want guys to know HOW to play the right way and I teach guys the fundamentals needed to execute consistently at a high level and I teach them how to see the game, not just play.  I’m also a big RELATIONSHIP guy – I think that is the thing that I do the best.  One of my favorite quotes is: “The leader sees things through the eyes of his followers; he puts himself in their shoes and helps them make their dreams come true.”  I try to see what my guys need and help provide it for them; try to get them to realize its more to life than basketball, but that basketball can help learn the skills that they would need to become successful.  I also believe that each kid I coach has a different reason for being on the team (some love the game, some want a scholarship, some just want to be a part of something); I try to merge what they want with what I want – to have team sustainable team success and to help grow the people I’m around.  Everything I do is an effort to make them better players and better people.

I think it is very important to be introspective and know exactly who you are as a person and as a professional, and it is very important to be able to effectively communicate that to others.  Part of being an effective communicator is being able to say what you need to say quickly and without being to 'wordy' or redundant.  If fact, I have a previous post where I talk about being able to communicate in a way that even a 9 year old is engaged and can understand.

So, I shortened my response on the type of coach that I am to a few sentences:

I try to bring energy and enthusiasm to the court with me everyday because its important to have a passion for and a love for what you do, and that passion is contagious.  I also try to teach as much as possible - I teach the fundamentals needed to be able to execute quickly and effectively, I teach the game, reads, and thought process behind decision making so that guys don't just play, but know how to play, and I teach how to be successful in life, because the qualities that you need to be successful on the court are the same qualities that you need to be successful in life, and vice-versa.

I got it down to a couple sentences.  Although long sentences, two sentences nonetheless.

Kids These Days

In coaching and in education, we hear so much about 'these kids these days' and how they lack respect, work ethic, motivation, etc.  We here about how 'back in our day,' kids worked hard, were respectful, did what they were expected to do, etc.
Instead of dwelling on the problem, how can we be part of the solution?

The work of philosopher Socrates, who was born in 469 BC, shows us that maybe the youth hasn't changed as much as we would like to think.  He lamented even during his days that the future generations would be in shambles because kids do not respect elders and that they were not motivated.  He was concerned for their love of luxury and their lack of manners.  He said that they showed little respect for the law, and that they had decaying morals.  He saw no hope for the future because of the recklessness, lack of respect, and lack of restraint and discretion by the youth of the times.

Are our kids perfect?  No, but they are kids, and kids need our guidance and mentorship more than they need our disdain and ridicule.  We can either lament their inequities and dwell on their negative attributes and characteristics, or we can celebrate what they bring to the table and teach them and help grow them into responsible, capable, and diligent adults.

Instead of dwelling on the problem, how can we be part of the solution?

Energy and Enthusiasm Everyday

When asked how long it would take to win:

"We'll be good when we're good.  My goal is to win right now."

"Talk is cheap right now - we have to get to work.  My teams are going to play hard, they're going to play with enthusiasm, they're going to play with great intensity." 

We competed in everything we did, from practice to teaching to showing up early.  We worked to gain confidence and erase fear by practicing for every contingency.  And we stayed constantly focused on maximizing the potential of everyone in the organization.  We applied ourselves and our philosophy diligently, and we started to win.

http://www.amazon.com/Win-Forever-Live-Work-Champion/dp/1591844169

Carroll, Pete.  (2011).  Win Forever.  New York: The Penguin Group.

Having One Heartbeat, One Voice

This excerpt is from the book by Pete Carroll title "Win Forever."  In these two paragraphs, he talks about the importance of everybody in the organization being unified and on the same page.

I left the NFL knowing that wherever I ended up next, my job would be to coach every part of the organization and be sure that we all had one heartbeat, one voice.  I now understand that different cultures could exist in the front and back offices, but to succeed, these elements need to be in sync.  A head coach should be able to hire his own coaching staff if he wants a cohesive unit and also have a strong hand in selecting players.  Confidence and trust are vital to a successful organization, and leadership must be supported unconditionally - to the bitter end, if necessary.

Ultimately, I learned that success in the NFL depends on all parts of the organization working together to field a championship team.  The competition is so intense and the level of expertise so evenly that only the strongest survive.  The strongest, I firmly believe, are those that are the most unified as an organization.

Motivating Reluctant Learners

This article was borrowed from Education Week Teacher at http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/05/27/ctq_barile_motivating.html?cmp=ENL-TU-NEWS1

By Nancy Barile

One of my favorite things about Facebook is that it allows me to connect with my former students. However, I was surprised when one student in particular—Eddie Scofield—friend-ed me three years ago.

Eddie and I had a fairly contentious relationship when he was my student in senior English class in 2008. There were 35 students in that class, most of whom had a mix of behavioral and academic issues. Eddie distinguished himself almost immediately as the trouble making ringleader. On any given day he could be argumentative, sarcastic, oppositional, sometimes lazy, and definitely mischievous.

After the first couple of weeks with Eddie, I was pulling my hair out. I was thinking of ways to get him switched out of my class. But a couple of effective strategies changed our relationship—and I didn't realize it until Eddie and I got in touch for a recent project.

Reflecting on the Past

Recently, I invited Eddie to stop by my high school. I was preparing a workshop for our district called "Motivating the Reluctant Learner," and I thought he might be able to provide some valuable insight into the topic.

He ended up telling his personal story at the workshop, and I learned so much about him that I didn't know while he was my student. For example, I hadn't known that he was briefly homeless during high school, that his stepfather had been deployed after 9/11, or that his mother was a drug user. I also didn't realize that I had had an enormous impact on Eddie—and that my class had changed his life.

By the time Eddie finished speaking that day, I had learned a great deal about my former student. But that wasn't even the best part: At the end of the presentation, he gave 10 tips for motivating reluctant learners. I hope you'll find them as valuable as my colleagues and I did.

Eddie’s 10 Tips for Motivating Reluctant Learners

1. Be enthusiastic about your work. Students can't get excited about learning if the teacher is clearly disinterested. Students can tell immediately if you’re bored or “phoning it in.”

2. Don’t assume. A student may look like trouble or have a reputation at school. You may even have had a run-in with the student or know his/her hellion of a sibling. However, the truth is that you never know how a student is going to act or perform in your class. It’s best to start with a clean slate—and assume he or she is ready and willing to work hard.

3. Reluctance and ignorance are not always mutually inclusive. Eddie emphasized that reluctant learners are not necessarily incapable learners. If you make those assumptions about a student, you can be sure he or she will most definitely become reluctant.

Eddie reminded me of one incident when he was supposed to write an essay but didn’t want to do the assignment. Eddie had spent most of the class period stalling, swearing he could write an A+ essay in the last 20 minutes of class. So, I accepted his challenge. Sure enough, Eddie wrote a brilliant essay in that period of time—mainly because he appreciated the fact that I gave him autonomy to use his time effectively.

4. Communicate with other educators. Back when I was pulling my hair out over Eddie, I went to speak with his former English teacher. I was surprised when she raved about him. She told me that he had a difficult home life and that I needed to give him a chance. So, I listened and changed my approach. Eddie said that he appreciated his former teacher taking the time to defend him and provide insight into his situation—plus the fact that I had cared enough to give him a second chance.

5. Ask questions and care. Eddie said that when he was in high school, he often wished that a teacher or administrator would ask him what was wrong. He said he probably wouldn't have given an answer, but he would have felt a great deal better if someone had shown that they cared enough to ask.

6. Use class time for more than lectures. It’s hard to believe that there are still teachers who lecture non-stop, but it does happen. Nowadays, there are few reasons for not varying instruction and getting students more involved in their learning.

7. Challenge students respectfully. We all know when a student is being a deliberate troublemaker who is looking to push our buttons. But it’s important to be respectful when challenging students—don’t embarrass, humiliate, or make fun of them. Instead, encourage them and meet privately to discuss your concerns. Find out what’s behind their bad behavior or unwillingness to do work.

Eddie told me that one of the things that “hooked” him in my class was my sense of humor and the fact that I could match him point for point in sarcasm—not mean, personal attacks, but witty, playful sarcasm. That helped him to build a connection with me as a teacher.

8. Be fair and vigilant in support of established class rules. Don’t grant a privilege to one student and refuse it to another. Students are hyper-aware of these dynamics and know exactly what goes on in the classroom.

9. Immediately discipline major infractions. Eddie made it clear that teachers must use immediate discipline for behavior that is completely out of line. But he suggested that minor infractions be dealt with in a non-confrontational way—perhaps after class or in a private conversation so as not to humiliate or embarrass students. For example, Eddie never forgave the teacher who called his mother in front of the whole class.

10. Make personal connections. Establishing strong relationships with your students, and creating a setting in which you and the student are working toward a common goal, is probably the single most powerful thing you can do to motivate a reluctant learner. Ask a hockey player if he watched the Bruins game last night. Make a comment about an interesting t-shirt a student is wearing. Acknowledge a student’s success on the sports field or in a school play. Paying attention to reluctant learners goes a long way in motivating them.
Eddie's tips are simple and intuitive. But even as a 19-year veteran of teaching, I felt refreshed after reviewing them. I think we can all benefit from stepping back and re-evaluating the ways we deal with our reluctant learners.

So you might be wondering—what’s Eddie up to today? I was absolutely delighted to hear that he’s a junior at Salem State University. But I was shocked when he revealed his major and career choice: He plans to be a high school English teacher. He’s even doing his student teaching with me in the fall! As his former teacher—and future colleague—I couldn't be prouder.

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Nancy Barile (@nancybarile), a National Board Certified Teacher, has taught English language arts at Revere High School in Revere, Mass., for 19 years. She advises the Culture Club and Future Teachers Club and is an adjunct professor at Emmanuel College. A CTQ Collaboratory member, Nancy won The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award in 2013 and serves on the College Board New England Regional Council.