Today I’ll finish up instructing basketball here at TFS. I have the usual classes throughout the day, and then at 4:00 PM I’ll begin a basketball training session–run by Coach Frye, Coach Chelsea, and me–for 7th-12th graders.
This week has definitely given me a ton of experience and been super fun, but balancing the schedule with other work I’m doing (project related and non-project related) has been super tiring and challenging. I definitely have a firsthand respect for gym teachers and coaches like Sharma, Frye, Lucas, Elder etc–especially those juggling numerous responsibilities or jobs. It takes a lot of effort to keep calm, match, increase or decrease the energy level of your students, and gauge how your going to use your authority to balance safety, control, and intensity with goofiness and fun. That being said it’s definitely a rewarding, worthwhile pursuit and I think the importance of good coaches (who teach teamwork and philosophy as well as athletics), positive competition (teaching kids to channel energy and aggression into positive pursuits rather then encouraging them to suppress their own identities) is way undervalued in America and often tackled in the wrong ways–the TFS model for athletics has room for improvement but is optimal compared to others.
Which do you enjoy more: teaching the kids or writing your book?
What age group has been the biggest problem for you? Also are you implementing any phrases from popular culture in your book?;)