Philosophies

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

        It is important as a physical educator to help our students learn skills and concepts that they need for the rest of their lives. That is the point of going to school, that is what it’s all about; preparing and educating students for the rest of their lives. I believe that educators help to shape each students experience and mentality in life, and that it is the responsibility of each and every educator to not simply enforce learning, but to motivate learning, encourage creativity, instill quality behavior, and explain and present concepts that will be beneficial to the students in each of their lives.
        This is much easier said than done of course, as each individual has different beliefs, interests, motivators, and even learning styles. That being said, I don’t believe that a teacher is only successful if he/she is able to have a positive impact on the lives of every single student, as that is few and far between. However, I do believe that a teacher that can generate intrigue and genuine interest of his student’s and can have an everlasting impact on a few students is successful as a teacher. I truly believe that is what it’s all about.
        With physical education in particular I believe as educators it is our responsibility to not only keep the class involved and generate learning, but to alter the mentality and lifestyles of the youth for years to come. We live in a world full of laziness, that laziness can be in the workforce, in our habits and daily schedules, in the effort we put into our lives, and especially in the way we take care of our bodies. This laziness has resulted in high obesity rates across the nation, even in the youth.
        Technology has made it easier for us to become lazy, it makes all sorts of task simpler, and allows youth to play sports without ever getting off of the couch. The 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed staggering data about behaviors that can be directly related to obesity. The percentage of kids who spend 3 or more hours per day in front of a computer was 41%, jumping up from only 22% in 2003. Luckily, the percentage of kids who watch TV for 3 or more hours per day was only at 32%, which is actually lower than the 2003 survey. Regardless, kids are spending a lot of time in front of a screen, which means they are spending much less time getting in some sort of exercise.
        I believe as physical educators we need to educate our students on how important exercise is and teach them to regulate the amount of time they spend in front of a screen. Kids don’t realize how hard habits are to break and how important it is to practice healthy behavior when they are young. As physical educators we just assume that they know, or that it will be covered in health class, but what if we could change their lives forever?
        Even if they don’t fully comprehend the importance of staying healthy when they are young, we can still teach them skills and concepts that they can use later on in their lives when they finally realize they need to make a change. There are so many fun ways to exercise, I don’t see any reason why the general public should have such a negative view of exercise. There is something for everyone, whether it’s yoga, martial arts, running, hiking, pilates, etc. We are responsible for that, and it is our job as physical educators to change that. As physical educators, we need to help our students learn skills and concepts that they need for the rest of their lives.

COACHING PHILOSOPHY

When it comes to coaching, there are certain values you should have. The values you hold will define your career as a coach, and will play a major role in how successful you are as a coach. Certain values may hold a higher value in this profession in particular, so I have selected what I think are the four most important. I think it goes without saying that the most important thing for a coach is to have the top priority be the well-being of the kids, so the values talked about come with the assumption that the coach maintains that priority.

                The first value is integrity, which by very definition means to have strong moral principles. There are a ton of important values to have in coaching; things like honesty, courtesy, fairness, sincerity, and virtue are just a few. Having integrity will demand respect from your peers, as well as your players. You often hear successful coaches labeled as “players coaches”, basically what this means is that they have the admiration and respect of their players. These types of coaches get more out of their players by being fair to them, believing in them, being honest with them, and showing them common courtesy.

                Coaches are very rarely successful without having integrity. Players cannot confide in or trust a coach who is dishonest with them and shows them no common courtesy. The players won’t be as upfront with the coach, and in most cases they won’t even want to play for him/her. Likewise, when a coach does not believe in his/her team, they will pick it up and not believe in themselves, which any athlete will tell you is critical to winning. Lastly, if a coach has virtue and strong moral principles, he will most likely instill that in his players. You often hear the phrase “lead by example”, well in coaching that couldn’t be any more important.

                The second value is commitment, which entails characteristics like devotion, effort, reliability, responsibility, dedication, and self-sacrifice. A coach must be committed and put in the effort each and every day in order to expect that his players be committed as well. If a coach doesn’t seem like he cares, puts in minimal effort, and is not reliable his team will immediately pick up on it. Thus resulting in frustration, and may even lead to players quitting.

                You often hear people say “you get out what you put in”, and as will anything else, that holds true in coaching. If a coach does not put in the time and effort to bettering his team as a whole as well as player by player, it will show in the team’s record. In most cases this requires self-sacrifice, not only in terms of time, but in some cases even in your personal preference or opinion. A coach must also understand how important commitment and sacrifice are in order to better the team, which is one of the greatest lessons that sports teach us.

                This leads me to my next value, which is personal experience/knowledge. I believe that regardless of how much knowledge you may have, you cannot master a certain skill without actually getting your hands dirty and doing it. Not only does it provide you with a better understanding of how to properly and effectively perform the skill at hand, but it will also enable you to properly demonstrate/teach that skill.

                I believe that have personal experience will allow you to not only know the game, but understand the game from multiple perspectives. You will also have a better understanding of the importance of team unity, and may even allow you to be more creative in drawing up plays/strategies. Having personal experience will also help you relate to what the players are going through. Lastly, I personally think that players respond better and have a higher level of respect for someone who has played and was successful when they played. (Especially teens)

The fourth value is communication (people skills). First and foremost, communication is vital to coaching because you may have all the knowledge and experience in the world, and not be able to relay that to your team. Also, almost as important as being able to teach something, is being able to listen to your team and better understand what they think, how they feel, etc.

Branching off of this are values like patience and tolerance which are more examples of integrity but are necessary in proper communication as well. A coach must be able to convey what he expects, and how to accomplish what he expects. This way the players will have a better sense of what the coach’s goals are and how to achieve those goals. Lastly, good communication will allow exchange of ideas which will ultimately better the team.

I strongly believe that these four values are necessary to being a successful coach. Together, they will bring the most of out you and as a result bring the most out of your team; which leads to success. There are many other values that are important for coaching. However, I believe that these four encompass most of what is needed to be a successful coach as well as a highly respected coach.