Stop Whining; Start Winning (eBook)

For Teachers and Coaches

Tom Anstett (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2020 | 1. Auflage
294 Seiten
Windy City Publishers (Verlag)
978-0-9819505-9-4 (ISBN)

Infos

TOM ANSTETT'S 'Stop Whining; Start Winning' encourages honest self-reflection while offering a variety of tips from various angles for teachers and coaches. Sections such as 'Inspire,' 'Communicate,' and 'Relish' will encourage thought and various emotions. Whether you are a teacher, coach, parent, or administrator, or just an avid reader in search of a thought-provoking book, 'Stop Whining; Start Winning' should find a place on your lap, in your bookcase, on your Christmas or birthday list, and in your consciousness.

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TOM ANSTETT'S "e;Stop Whining; Start Winning"e; encourages honest self-reflection while offering a variety of tips from various angles for teachers and coaches. Sections such as "e;Inspire,"e; "e;Communicate,"e; and "e;Relish"e; will encourage thought and various emotions. Whether you are a teacher, coach, parent, or administrator, or just an avid reader in search of a thought-provoking book, "e;Stop Whining; Start Winning"e; should find a place on your lap, in your bookcase, on your Christmas or birthday list, and in your consciousness.

Textauszug

Preface

Teaching and coaching complement each other.

In the spring of 1976, I applied for head coach of the basketball program at Immaculate Conception (I.C.) in Elmhurst, a Catholic parish high school of about 750 students. I did so feeling too much the novice, having been coaching and teaching for just three years, and never as the head coach of a basketball program. The late Bill Schaefer, my high school basketball coach and mentor during my post-college/Quigley years, pushed me to apply. I did so as cautiously as a non-swimmer approaching the deep end of a pool as his only option. When I heard I was the chosen one, I did not know whether to cheer or fear. So I did both. Before I left Quigley for my new position, Bill gave me a piece of wisdom I cherish to this day, “Tom, never let the administration be able to fire you because you are a lousy classroom teacher. If they disagree with your coaching style or you don’t win enough games for whatever reasons, that’s one thing, but be the best teacher in your school. Then they can never use that against you. You are paid for your English teaching, not the basketball coaching. The better teacher you become, the better coach you will be.”

I began to realize this truth through various trials and triumphs. Eight years later, after a very successful run in Elmhurst, I accepted the head basketball position at Glenbrook North High School, my first public school venture. My initial interviews consisted of the principal, the assistant principal, the athletic director, and the English department chairman. When I spoke with the chairman, one of his first remarks was, “I suppose I will have to have you, being the head basketball coach. Can you actually teach English?”

Question understood. I was insulted and peeved, but that remark ignited my competitiveness. “I will be one of your best teachers,” I responded. So it began. I enrolled at Northeastern Illinois University to start a Masters in Literature program. That journey took five years of taking courses in the spring, fall, and summer. Winters were out because of the time and commitment of basketball. Those five years were some of the roughest I experienced. Even though the players were very enthusiastic and willing to learn, the coaching was tough since I had taken over a program with players with little varsity experience. Winning became a special dessert, instead of the main course. The majority of the parents were supportive, as are the majority of parents in every school district. There were three sets of parents, however, who made my coaching very trying and frustrating. On the other hand, the classroom teaching was terrific. My colleagues in the English department were outstanding: always curious and optimistic and supportive. With the resources available in that district, possibilities were endless. The students, for the most part, were highly driven and energetic. Through both arenas, I was beginning to see Bill Schaefer’s words as my personal bible. Moreover, to my everlasting ignorance, I was starting to employ methods from one arena to the other. I was also beginning to understand the importance of clear communication among student-players, parents, and myself.

In my second year there, the chairman asked me to explain to my colleagues at a future date some of the coaching methods I used in my English classroom. When he first approached me with this request, I blanched. I found that question curious. My team finished 5-19 in my first year; why would anyone be interested in my methods when I had such a poor season? In the weeks ahead, I pondered this task. I reflected after a day’s work what coaching techniques I used within the day’s lessons. Nothing was coming to me. Then a few weeks later during my fifth period English 3 Basic class consisting of fourteen boys and two girls, three of the boys barged in fifteen minutes tardy. Two of them, quite inebriated, stumbled into desks. Their stench of alcohol permeated the room. I ushered them down to the dean’s office.

After their two-week suspension, I sat down with each boy to discuss his status in class. Little did I realize it then, but my coaching techniques were in full display. I spoke to these boys like a coach to his player who might be struggling in his confidence. That is all these boys needed: someone who takes some time to listen to them and hear their stories. One of the boys, Andrew, remarked to me, “My dad is never home and when he is, I never talk to him or really see him. He never asks me about school, so I don’t care much. At least you want to know me a little.” Within our discussion, I countered with the three questions I ask of athletes:

1. “Are you a hard worker?”
2. “Are you a team player?” (and/or) “Are you a good example in class?”
3. “Do you give up too easily? What is your degree of mental toughness?”

These prompts engender relevant feedback from students, players, or parents. In Andrew’s case, he changed his entire attitude: his effort, production, and skill accelerated. Passing the course became a reality. Those three questions became ones I fell back on repeatedly throughout my career, no matter whom I was addressing. Parents, colleagues, students, and children all heard the same prompts. Those questions became the backbone for my becoming a quality teacher. Sure, I knew my curriculum. Selling that curriculum became authentic when my audience knew me as more than a teacher.

From the other side of education, I’ve watched many coaches over the years, worked closely with many more. If I had one wish, I would want all coaches to hear those questions before they start their careers and consider their repercussions. I realize that most new coaches have heard those questions from a player’s perspective, but asking those same questions as a coach offers a new prospect for learning. In truth, I never used classroom time to prepare basketball practice, write down plays, or do anything else basketball-related. It was all English, all the time. I quickly discovered that there was no time to waste as an English teacher; there was far too much to prepare, to grade, and to learn. As I gained experience, Schaefer’s parting words gained more and more relevance and meaning. Teaching and coaching had a strange, yet wondrous partnership, a connection that assisted my public school experiences.

Unfortunately, I have witnessed the Darth Vader side of coaches who concentrate on their sport all the time. Teachers who slight their classroom obligations are discouraging for the kids and for the school. I recall one particular moment when I, as the department chairman, was having a conference with one of my English teachers who was also an assistant football coach. I had paid a visit in an informal observation to his class and discovered his lesson very haphazard and unprepared. I called him into my office to discuss the reasons for this lack of preparation. During our conversation he mentioned that his focus on football had diminished his luster for his English teaching. Not the words I wanted to hear. I proceeded to inform that teacher that if he could not keep up with his first priority, his classroom instruction, that he should not coach. I even told him that I would consider his status as a non-tenured teacher on very shaky ground if I did not see immediate improvement. Happy to report that this teacher responded well and his methods and brilliance began to skyrocket. As a department chairperson, I expected all my teachers to improve. That improvement began with my own effort and modeling for superior teaching. How could I blame any of my teachers for a lack of production if I was a poor model? I had to be the best teacher in the department, just like I had to be the best coach in my program.

Furthermore, if more attention from administrations was given to the teaching end, i.e., just how good a teacher is each coach, coaches would understand what the priorities are in their schools. Some of the priorities are school-driven with pressure from the administration to win games. I offer these concepts not as a blanket criticism, but as a source for evaluation. Leadership with integrity always is the bottom line for any healthy balance between academics and sports.

Some might argue that coaching is harder than it’s ever been. I will not argue with that because it begs the question; coaching has always been, and will always be, difficult and challenging. The pressures of time, family, outside influences, parents, and administrators have always presented challenges to a career as a coach. In contemporary society, the overuse of social media must take some accountability for raising every educator’s blood pressure. This book wants to help teachers and coaches do their jobs better. If coaches can discover methods to improve their teaching ability, their relationships with their athletes, their ability to communicate with parents, there will be less room for whining and blaming. Clarity will emerge. Coaches who find and sustain real priorities and develop the inner toughness to secure and to teach a valid belief system for their sport become the true winners. That winning attitude transfers to both students and athletes. Healthy relationships with school colleagues also assist a coaching career.

Teaching and coaching share similar traits (See Appendix D for a warmup), and can thrive as one persona despite being in contrasting physical environments and using different terminology. Moreover, one of my trusted colleagues with whom I had the pleasure of being both a teaching colleague and a member of his basketball staff for eleven years at Lincoln-Way East believes one should teach more on the...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.6.2020
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Sport
• ISBN-10: 0-9819505-9-0 / 0981950590
• ISBN-13: 978-0-9819505-9-4 / 9780981950594