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Coaches in the Classroom?

Started by bobcats, May 19, 2017, 09:45:30 am

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bobcats

Do most schools require their head Sr boys football and basketball coaches to teach in the classroom or just PE and maybe drivers ed? 

beach bum

Quote from: bobcats on May 19, 2017, 09:45:30 am
Do most schools require their head Sr boys football and basketball coaches to teach in the classroom or just PE and maybe drivers ed?

A lot of the time I see they are teaching PE or Health. I have even like you say seen them doing something like "Drivers Ed" or something outside the traditional classroom setting. I have a lot of respect for those teachers that teach a core subject such as science, english, etc. along with their coaching duties because that is a lot of prep they are doing for both areas. That is a plate load sometimes especially during the season they are coaching.... Kudos from me to all those coaches who are also great teachers in the classroom. People make fun of the stereotype of Coach and PE, but let them teach 4 science classes and practice 5 days a week plus traveling for games then they will see pretty quickly why most of the coaches do PE to soften the workload outside of class.

gameoflife

I think a bunch of those coaches teach PE because they don't really want to be in the classroom. I'm with you on the ones that do teach a regular class and do a good job.

bobcats

I believe coaches "coach" because sports is their passion.  Schools that stick them in the classroom are doing the students a disservice.  Would you put your math teacher in the gym, probably not unless he or she has 2 passions. A good coach will not leave the gym till 5 or 6 in season and of course on game nights it will be 10pm and maybe midnight on road games.  Doesn't leave much time for preparing for class the next day.

Longfellow

It doesn't matter if your passion is sports, if you get the degree and take the tests to become a licensed teacher/coach, you have a duty to be the best instructor that you can be. Just because your passion is football, your students shouldn't have a subpar experience in the classroom because of it. Ask any Health/Physical Education major at a university. The first thing you learn is that being a good teacher is much more important than being a sports instructor. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the problem in the US is the emphasis we place on sports as a society. We're 17th in educational performance, 17th in literacy, 33rd in math, and 24th in science. But we're #1 in basketball, baseball, football, and Olympic gold medals. We're also #1 in amount of money spent on health advertisements and #2 in obesity. Guess what coaches teach the most. Health. Having a coach in the classroom should be better than a regular teacher. Coaches are expected to be fun, so they can get away with fun activities and lesson plans. No reason a coach should be a detriment to a student's education

no mascot

Thanks for the lecture debbie downer.

Find one instance where a coach was fired because he didn't do a good enough job in their health class.

Find one coach who didn't feel their job was in jeopardy at a point in which they couldn't win enough to make folks happy.

Work 65+ hours a week and then try to have enough energy to be a stellar teacher and coach.

Longfellow

Quote from: no mascot on May 21, 2017, 05:06:31 pm
Thanks for the lecture debbie downer.

Find one instance where a coach was fired because he didn't do a good enough job in their health class.

Find one coach who didn't feel their job was in jeopardy at a point in which they couldn't win enough to make folks happy.

Work 65+ hours a week and then try to have enough energy to be a stellar teacher and coach.
I can't say I've seen coaches be fired for not being good enough as teachers, but that's no reason for a coach to be anything less than an outstanding teachers. As someone who took plenty of classes, in high school and college, with coaches, I know that anything I learned in those classes I learned by myself. Health class in high schools is basically another study hall.  And that's a problem across the nation. That's why I brought up the health stat. If coaches aren't doing a good job teaching health, who is providing health education for young kids. If we don't begin teaching kids why they need to be healthy and how to be healthy, then obesity rates and the prevalence of heart disease, diabetes, various cancers, osteoporosis, and malnutrition will continue to grow in the US. Who has the greatest opportunity to make a difference? Coaches. I'm an HPE major at Arkansas Tech, so in less than two years I'll be teaching in an Arkansas public school. I've spent a lot of time observing coaches, coaching various teams, and volunteering at high schools with various programs. I also have the best dang coaching mentor alive. I know what it takes to be a coach. I know what I'm signing up for. And it's not to be a good coach at the expense of being a good teacher. I signed up for this major because I want to be the best dang coach and the best dang teacher I can possibly be. Any coach who doesn't strive to be a great teacher in the classroom, is in the wrong profession

no mascot

Will your mentor watch your game film and prepare practice plans and scouting reports for you while you prepare your awesome lesson plans? Will your mentor be doing your laundry for you, washing practice clothes and towels and uniforms, while you grade your well designed assessments?

Keep that attitude and you'll be in administration in no time! I had some interest in your comments until you said you was still in school. Don't pretend to know what the coaching lifestyle entails. They don't teach the coaching life in college.

PapaHog

I remember when I thought I was going to be the best teacher. Then that first year hit me. Hang in there, bud.

no mascot

Wait a second Longfellow. You are wanting to be a coach and believe that the problem with the United States is the emphasis we place on sports as a society? You don't see the ridiculousness in that?

"I don't like how our culture objectifies women, but I want to be a stripper when I grow up," makes abt as much sense.

4real

Quote from: no mascot on May 22, 2017, 07:31:11 am
Wait a second Longfellow. You are wanting to be a coach and believe that the problem with the United States is the emphasis we place on sports as a society? You don't see the ridiculousness in that?

"I don't like how our culture objectifies women, but I want to be a stripper when I grow up," makes abt as much sense.
I don't think Longfellow is being hypocritical here.  Simply that coaches should set forth an example of excellence and love for others in a holistic manner, including the classroom.

OB11

Longfellow's heart is in the right place. Can't fault him for that.

I grew up in a home where my dad was and still is a teacher/coach and mom was and still is a teacher. I lived that coaching lifestyle from the time I could remember. I was on the sideline, the bench, or in a dugout almost every night from the time I was 5 until I graduated high school. I have been teaching and coaching for 4 years now and even knowing exactly what the coaching lifestyle was like, it still hit me like a ton of bricks when I started. It has gotten easier to balance the teaching duties on top of coaching, but it can be exhausting sometimes. We need people like Longfellow who are passionate about what they are getting in to, even if they don't know exactly what to expect yet. The average dropout rate for a new teacher is 3 years and Arkansas is facing a teacher shortage at the moment. We need more quality educators that are getting into the profession for the right reasons. I wish Longfellow all the best.

gameoflife

Hard to work a full teaching schedule and then coach every night until dinner time or later and until late evening several days a week, coming  home at 10-12 at night.  Then for many spend most of their weekend coaching or preparing.  When people criticize coaches they need to take a second look.  I don't excuse coaches who do a poor job in the classroom but I believe its a tough job.

FisherOfMen11

The thing is some schools have a realistic expectation of a coach in the classroom and some do not. Now there are those who do not teach at all and either watch a movie or assign pointless assignments that kids don't enjoy. There are coaches who try to do the best they can in the classroom though their lessons may not be near what they could be if they worked 7 hours like most teachers. A good coach at the varsity level is putting in 12 hours daily on normal days and 16-18 hours on game days. Say two games a week so 72 hours in a week and that's not including film studies/scouting/planning on the weekends. Where most teachers 45 hours a week and that's including planning. Break down the stipend amounts to hours worked and see how "good" varsity coaches are probably some of the most highly criticized yet under paid professions.

Kraig Crist

Good coaching is good teaching. Good teaching is good coaching. I know plenty of HFB coaches that teach social studies. It's about doing what you love. Cornering a coach into doing something he's not comfortbale with is a no win situation with everybody.

Mike Malham teaches geometry. That's all you need to know about good coaching and teaching.

Redwolves8526

Quote from: Kraig Crist on May 24, 2017, 10:10:44 am
Good coaching is good teaching. Good teaching is good coaching. I know plenty of HFB coaches that teach social studies. It's about doing what you love. Cornering a coach into doing something he's not comfortbale with is a no win situation with everybody.

Mike Malham teaches geometry. That's all you need to know about good coaching and teaching.

He still teaches Geometry at Cabot? Are you serious? Never thought a 7A Head Coach would be a core subject teacher.

Wonderdog

Interesting takes on this topic. No Mascot is right, they do not teach the coaching life in college. Longfellow is also right, you should take your classroom duties as serious or even more serious than coaching duties. After all, you get paid 30K+ to teach and a few thousand to coach.

Being able to balance a difficult teaching responsibility and coaching duties is certainly stressful as well as time consuming. I typically spend around three to four hours each weekend preparing for the coming week in the classroom. Not including the time spent on grading assessments. Its not an easy job despite what many (who aren't the ones doing it) people think. At the end of the day you have to maintain the commitment that you sign up for and give the best you can to the kids.

Lumberjackfan1978

Quote from: Redwolves8526 on May 25, 2017, 09:02:29 am
He still teaches Geometry at Cabot? Are you serious? Never thought a 7A Head Coach would be a core subject teacher.
Mike Malham is one of a very few that do

oldtimeeagle

Longtime Huntsville girls coach Charlie Berry still teaches geometry as well.

no mascot

That's awesome. Make sure and let us know when he's inducted into the Arkansas high school geometry hall of fame.

4real

Great sarcasm turd. Coach Berry is one of the best all time and every coach I. The state admires his passion and commitment to doing your best at all that you do. 
Maybe if we
Can get more folks thinking like your post we can work our way below the state of Mississippi in being the worst at everything

no mascot

lol I know coach berry. He's very professional in his approach. I'm just offering a different viewpoint.

You know good and well though that committees are formed for the hiring of coaches much more often than math teachers.

Like it or not it's a job that has more importance placed upon it, even if it's not actually more important.

Iknewthemwhen

Why do they need committees for coaches and not for teachers? 

no mascot


Iknewthemwhen

Coaches are often high profile and everyone wants part of the glory?  If they loose they blame it on one of the committee members who wanted that guy! LOL!!!

sevenof400

Quote from: Iknewthemwhen on July 04, 2017, 10:33:44 am
Why do they need committees for coaches and not for teachers?

Just to add something overlooked here - there are committees for ALL hires in most schools.  For teaching positions, it is most often the case the committee members are all present employees of the school with the opening (meaning no one from outside the school is involved in the interview/opinion portion of the hiring process).   

no mascot

You're been in some different places than I have!

4real

I can comprehend what these viewpoints are. It's a strange Day we live in now. It appears that there are fewer kids playing sports these days, percentage wise. Kids have so many things to entertain themselves with vs one and two generations ago. This very topic centers around this argument of whether coaches should be educators or just a sport coach.  That brings an incredible amount of more pressure into a culture that has more pressure than is needed.

The pressure is then redirected to the kids and parents to meet the demands of the coach.  Then families have to make more sacrifices for their kid to be successful at several different activities and they all get spread then, insanity follows, then focusyon one sport follows.  Thousands of dollars spent on equipment, training and tournaments and camps all for the kid and he probably will not even get the scholarship that the coach promised. Even if he does, many cases that scholarship will not cover tuition room and meals.
It's a difficult question

no mascot


gameoflife

Can't blame coaches for striving to win and that means pushing kids to work hard, be dedicated and hit the weight room year round.  Coaches loose jobs when they do not win in many cases.  Plus there is just the good ole trying to excel at what you do factor.  Not sure anybody ever wants it as bad as the coaches.

OwlFan4

My son-in-law was hired in May, 2016 as a head Sr. boys & Jr. boys basketball coach at a class A school after graduating in December, 2015 from UCA.  He got the interview and was hired because he was certified to teach Sr. & Jr. high history.  He teaches 5 different history/civics courses and only 1 PE class in addition to his coaching duties.  He spent a lot of time in July and August last summer just preparing lesson plans for each class.  He had to start from "scratch" since it was his first year.  This year will be a little easier since he can use some of the same lesson plans.  I know once the season started last year he was either watching game film or grading papers.


Central AR

August 08, 2017, 03:21:37 pm #31 Last Edit: November 17, 2018, 12:45:17 am by Central AR
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