“Bullies are always cowards at heart and may be credited with a pretty safe instinct in scenting their prey.”Oh those final weeks of coaching are bittersweet. The head coaches or people who make it to every practice will understand this best. It's not that I don't love every second of coaching, well OK, not every second but you get the idea. It is more that when you have a day where you are sick, tired or sore and just want to go home that it takes a lot to remember why you signed up for this. Lessons teaching kids about bullying is a great reason to keep coming back. I love that they save this for towards the end of the season so it keeps me coming every practice.Anna Julia Cooper
But we are hitting the end of my endurance. Its like running a race and I am in that last mile where it is all about the make it or break it mentality. This season is different too because it is also almost the end of the school year so I think the kids are anxious too about being done.
Last season learning about bullying and choosing our own friends was sort of a hard concept for me to teach. Mostly because I get kind of emotional and learning to keep that in check so that I am focusing on the girls emotions was something I had to learn. I handled it last season, this season I was good going in there. Keeping the girls focused.
Funnier is that I have come to tolerate less of the lack of listening. I will ask a question and a girl will have her hand shoot up but then not know what I asked or she wants to answer this big long lecture. I recognize the behavior as a way to earn positive comments from me but it was distracting and taking away from the girls getting to run and stretch. So I had to put my foot down finally. If within 2-3 words I can tell the girl is going to just start talking about her weekend, book she read or her sibling, I politely stop her and ask how she was relating that to the question. She will answer, oh, it has nothing to do with the lesson, I just wanted to talk about .....fill in the blank....!
I tell them that we can talk after practice if they have time but that we need to focus. It seems to be working. A few girls are catching on very quickly.
You know, I wonder what the parents must think of me. Some of them have gotten to know me quite well and have heard my snarkiness that I usually hide from the kids. Some parents I am just getting to know finally. I know that most of them appreciate that I volunteer for this program. I know that when I started last season, one of the parents asked me how much I earned as a coach and I laughed. Told them I was a volunteer. I get paid in smiles and watching the girls achieve something they never thought possible.
Anyways, it was great last week having cooler days for running. And as we get closer to the 5k (just a week away) you can see the focus in the girls' eyes.
The thing that made me happiest-girls speaking up that had been so quiet most of the season. Girls making new friends and working together that didn't know each other that well before. And some girls stepping up as leaders that weren't always before.
I understand that COMPLETELY! Sometimes I'll ask a question and a girl will start answering with a completely irrelevant answer. It's the same girl every week. Actually, the one lesson instructed, "No stories, just emotions." So I cut her off completely. "Wait a minute... I said no stories.. is this a story?" Every girl answered for her, "Yes." She kinda pouted. Later on in the lesson, or another day, this girl went onto a second longwinded story.
ReplyDeleteA couple of girls said to her, "Can you tell us while we stretch?" It's maddening. The funny thing is, now I know how people must feel about me. I always tell these longwinded stories and talk way too much... to the point where I sometimes forget the point I'm trying to make.
The other thing is, the lessons should really take about 2 hours to complete, not an hour and a half like the book instructs. It's just TOO much to cram in. I abbreviate a lot and some "Getting on board" games we just have discussions about instead. Even yesterday, we were only left with 25 minutes to run in the end.
As this is only my second season coaching, I'm really having some problems. Middle school girls can be rotten to each other... or misunderstandings between the girls can occur SO easily... I had a problem yesterday with two 6th graders... the one came running back completely in tears saying another girl told her she had "nothing nice to write about me." What can I do? Ignore it? I took it upon myself to tell the other girl to sit. I cannot tolerate girls being mean to each other. The problem though, is that it was a misunderstanding and she explained to the other coach that she was trying to tell the girl she didn't know what to say or didn't know how to word the nice thing she wanted to write about her. Explained to the girl who was crying, she sort of accepted the explanation... so then 2 girls were in tears. So then I have to explain to the girl who I had sit that no one was mad at her, we just had to get the stories srtaight... argh! :o(
In the meantime we're trying to run an efficient workout... completely drained, I didn't make dinner after work, and nearly passed out without showering. Then I overslept for work! It is just so tiring!
Actually, I have a question for you - I know you don't post your e-mail but if you could e-mail me at my personal e-mail - it is on my blogger profile info. You seem to know the national rules pretty well and I could really use some advice. Stuff I would rather not post in my blog. Thanks!